Load theory of selective attention and cognitive control

A load theory of attention in which distractor rejection depends on the level and type of load involved in current processing was tested. A series of experiments demonstrates that whereas high perceptual load reduces distractor interference, working memory load or dual-task coordination load increases distractor interference. These findings suggest 2 selective attention mechanisms: a perceptual selection mechanism serving to reduce distractor perception in situations of high perceptual load that exhaust perceptual capacity in processing relevant stimuli and a cognitive control mechanism that reduces interference from perceived distractors as long as cognitive control functions are available to maintain current priorities (low cognitive load). This theory resolves the long-standing early versus late selection debate and clarifies the role of cognitive control in selective attention.     

Self-efficacy as a moderator of the planning-behaviour relationship in interventions designed to promote physical activity

Individuals who lack perceived self-efficacy may benefit less from planning interventions because they fail to apply their plans when encountering situations that appear challenging. Thus, self-efficacy may operate as a moderator in relation to the effects of planning interventions on behaviour. This article reports from two experimental studies using cluster randomisation. Study 1 included 58 patients with diabetes who received a face-to-face action planning intervention to improve their physical activity levels. Study 2 targeted the roles of planning and self-efficacy for the maintenance of regular running and for relapse prevention in 187 active individuals over a 2-year period. The email-delivered intervention prompted specific goal setting and facilitated planning to mobilise social support to secure relapse prevention. Results of the two studies were consistent with a moderating effect of self-efficacy in relation to the planning-behaviour relationship. Individuals with high self-efficacy benefited from planning interventions. If a person lacks self-efficacy, planning may not effectively promote physical activity.     

Coping of Judo Competitors in the Context of Gender,Age, Years of Practice and Skill Level

The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which gender, age, skill level, and years of practice serve as predictors of coping styles in judo. Participants in the study consisted of 98 judo competitors (47 females and 51 males, aged 13–21 years). As a result of the agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis four coping styles have been established for the Brief COPE inventory in approach–avoidance and cognitive–behavioral dimensions, with dominant approach coping style. The standard multiple regression analysis indicated that gender, age, and judo practice served as predictors for approach, avoidance, or behavioral coping styles.     

On the Logic of β-pregroups

In this paper we concentrate mainly on the notion of β-pregroups, which are pregroups (first introduced by Lambek [18] in 1999) enriched with modality operators. β-pregroups were first proposed by Fadda [11] in 2001. The motivation to introduce them was to limit (locally) the associativity in the calculus considered. In this paper we present this new calculus in the form of a rewriting system, prove the very important feature of this system - that in a given derivation the non-expanding rules must always proceed non-contracting ones in order the derivation to be minimal (normalization theorem). We also propose a sequent system for this calculus and prove the cut elimination theorem for it. As an illustration we show how to use β-pregroups for linguistical applications. Special Issue Categorial Grammars and Pregroups Edited by Wojciech Buszkowski and Anne Preller     

The Interplay between Conscious and Automatic Self-Regulation and Adolescents' Physical Activity: The Role of Planning, Intentions, and Lack of Awareness

This study investigated the interplay between conscious and automatic self‐regulatory variables and adolescents’ physical activity. It was hypothesised that intention, planning, and lack of awareness would predict adolescents’ behaviour. One hundred and fifty‐five individuals (aged 13 to 17 years) completed questionnaires in two waves (with a time gap of 10 days). The results of cross‐lagged panel analysis suggested that both past behaviour and planning predicted physical activity at follow‐up, whereas physical activity predicted intention. Although lack of awareness, a facet of automatic processes, was negatively related to physical activity, the nested model comparison analysis indicated that the relation between lack of awareness and physical activity might be negligible. Among the self‐regulatory processes, planning was found to be the most important predictor of adolescents’ physical activity, although past behaviour remained the strongest predictor of future behaviour. Cette recherche porte sur l’interaction entre les variables autorégulatrices conscientes et automatiques et l’activité physique des adolescents. On a fait l’hypothèse que l’intention, la planification et l’absence de prise de conscience allaient prédire le comportement des adolescents. 155 individus âgés de 13 à 17 ans ont rempli des questionnaires en deux temps avec un intervalle de dix jours. Les résultats d’une analyse en panel retardé croisé montrent que la conduite antérieure et la planification prédisent l’activité physique qui s’ensuit alors que l’activité physique prédit l’intention. Bien que le manque de prise de conscience, une facette des processus automatiques, soit négativement corréléà l’activité physique, l’analyse de variance indique que la relation entre l’absence de prise de conscience et l’activité physique pourrait être négligeable. Des différents processus d’autorégulation, c’est la planification qui est apparue comme étant le prédicteur majeur de l’activité physique des adolescents, bien que la conduite passée reste le prédicteur le plus fiable du comportement à venir.