Achievement dynamics: The interaction of motives,cognitions, and emotions over time

Abstract

The history of research on achievement striving has been characterized by the development of several separate lines of inquiry in relative isolation, one from the other. Three themes are most notable: research on need achievement (motivation), formulations of test anxiety (emotion), and the exploration of information-processing (cognitive) factors with special attention given to the organization of effective study skills. In the absence of a unified approach to an understanding of achievement behavior, research has been largely confined to attempts to establish simple one-to-one correspondences between various organizing constructs, say, test anxiety, and the achievement outcomes they are thought to influence. For instance, a veritable flood of studies beginning at the turn of the century has demonstrated the existence of a negative relationship between level of anxiety arousal and performance across a variety of testing and assessment conditions (for a review, see Heinrich & Spielberger, 1982). Likewise, individual variations in level of need achievement (nAch) have been associated with preferences for risk taking and study persistence (Atkinson, 1957, 1964).     

Using Drawings to Elicit Nonverbal Constructs in Experiential Personal Construct Psychotherapy

Clients who have experienced psychological wounds prior to the use of language frequently struggle to articulate and make sense of their core constructs around self and others. These early wounds can have a significant influence on future relational interactions, even though they may be experienced at a nonverbal level. While eliciting these preverbal constructs may be essential to the healing process, without verbal representation the therapeutic task can be difficult. In this article, we will discuss the use of symbolism within personal construct psychology as well as the use of drawings as representations of nonverbal constructs. We will then discuss experiential personal construct psychotherapy and its focus on the ways we both connect and disconnect from others. Finally, we will present Kristen, a therapy client who experienced early relational wounds and increasingly dissociated in response to relational stress as she matured. Kristen's work in therapy around her fragmented sense of self included drawing her internal self-parts. Only then was she able to wrap words around that which she previously experienced nonverbally. In this case study, Kristen's drawings and her core constructs as elicited during four years of therapy will be presented and discussed.     

Effects of a flexible work-time design on employee- and company-related aims

This article addresses the effects of flexible work-time designs on employee- and company-related aims. Using objective and self-reported quantitative and qualitative data the current study examines the effects of a flexible work-time design that was introduced in a service company in Germany. Building on the learning hypothesis of the job demands?–?control model, we predicted that a highly flexible work-time design that provides employees with high demands but at the same time also with a high degree of autonomy, and self-determination over their working time leads to positive effects on employee's personal development and learning opportunities. The results supported this hypothesis. However, in addition to employee-related benefits the results also suggested benefits for the company, such as an increase in adherence to company goals. Moreover, the objective data showed a lower degree of absenteeism and higher work quality compared to the control group working with the traditional work-time design. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

And all your problems are gone: religious coping strategies among Philippine migrant workers in Hong Kong

This paper provides an ethnographic account of both hardships and religious coping strategies of Philippine migrant workers in Hong Kong. It will argue that intensified coping needs that arise from the migration process may lead to a reorientation towards more charismatic religious groups, which in turn seem to promote coping strategies specifically tailored towards the (relatively homogenous) experiences of these migrants. It will also argue that, while the “disempowering” implications of religious coping rest ambiguous, it may assist the toleration of exploitative patterns in migration by reducing their emotional cost.     

Researching HIV/AIDS,Education & Childhood in the African Context

This article offers a reflective review of 12 articles and 4 brief reports included in this special issue of the International Journal of Psychology in Africa with the theme, ‘HIV/AIDS, education and childhood in the African context’. Muthukrishna and Ramsuran (2007) have emphasised that the consequences of HIV/AIDS can be far-reaching for children and young people resulting in unequal life chances. It is thus fitting that this special issue should be edited by them in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in the country (and province) with the highest levels of incidence of HIV/AIDS in Africa. In this article I offer a commentary on how the interpretive lenses of the authors who are located in various disciplines provide a theorised understanding of what shapes knowledge constructions in situated African contexts.     

The Coping Strategies Questionnaire – Swedish Version: Evidence of Reliability and Validity in Patients with Fibromyalgia

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of a Swedish version of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire in patients with fibromyalgia. A total of 275 patients from 4 sites in Sweden filled out the questionnaire and other health status and quality of life instruments at the beginning of treatment programs. A total of 28 subjects at 1 site served as wait-listed controls for 12 weeks. Cronbach's Alpha for the subscales ranged from 0.3 3 to 0.86. Coping Strategies Questionnaire subscales correlated significantly with other scales. The treated group had significant positive changes on several Coping Strategies Questionnaire subscales. Principal components analysis found a 3-factor solution consisting of cognitive coping/suppression, pain control/rational thinking and behavioral activity. Analysis by item replicated 4 of the 8 subscales. A further principal components analysis using 27 items replicated an earlier 6-factor solution. The Swedish version of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire has subscales that are reliable, valid and sensitive to change in patients with fibromyalgia.     

G. E. Moore on goodness and reasons

Several proponents of the ‘buck-passing’ account of value have recently attributed to G. E. Moore the implausible view that goodness is reason-providing. I argue that this attribution is unjustified. In addition to its historical significance, the discussion has an important implication for the contemporary value-theoretical debate: the plausible observation that goodness is not reason-providing does not give decisive support to the buck-passing account over its Moorean rivals. The final section of the paper is a survey of what can be said for and against the buck-passing account and Moore's views about goodness and reasons.     

Evaluation of dominance‐based ordinal multiple regression for variables with few categories

Dominance‐based ordinal multiple regression (DOR) is designed to answer ordinal questions about relationships among ordinal variables. Only one parameter per predictor is estimated, and the number of parameters is constant for any number of outcome levels. The majority of existing simulation evaluations of DOR use predictors that are continuous or ordinal with many categories, so the performance of the method is not well understood for ordinal variables with few categories. This research evaluates DOR in simulations using three‐category ordinal variables for the outcome and predictors, with a comparison to the cumulative logits proportional odds model (POC). Although ordinary least squares (OLS) regression is inapplicable for theoretical reasons, it was also included in the simulations because of its popularity in the social sciences. Most simulation outcomes indicated that DOR performs well for variables with few categories, and is preferable to the POC for smaller samples and when the proportional odds assumption is violated. Nevertheless, confidence interval coverage for DOR was not flawless and possibilities for improvement are suggested.     

Reentry Women After Graduation

Reentry women (M age, 42.2 years) were compared with younger women (M age, 25.8 years) on a survey conducted 2 to 6 years after their graduation from college. A total of 451 graduates responded to questions about education and employment activities, job satisfaction, and leisure pursuits. Discriminant function analyses revealed clear-cut differences between the two age groups and also among the six age/marital groups (single, married, and formerly married). The great majority of these reentry women were found to be employed outside the home and to be earning significantly higher salaries than their younger counterparts. Of the six age/marital groups, both single and married reentry women rated themselves highest in job satisfaction; this greater satisfaction appeared to be based on feelings of accomplishment and autonomy.     

Procedural Text Structure and Reader Perceptions and Performance

This research tested the relationship between text structural variables (on vs. off the causal chain, active vs. static information, and hierarchical structure) and reader perceptions, reading time, and true-false performance for procedural texts. Twenty-four college-age participants each read 3 procedural texts. As predicted, sentences that were (a) on the causal chain, (b) active, and (c) associated with task steps were read more slowly and judged to be more important (p < .05). The results were similar to those previously found with narratives, except for the hierarchical structure variable. Also as predicted, text differences were found such that as the variation in the type of information contained in the text increased, relationships with the structural variables increased.