Plans Are More Helpful When One Perseveres: The Moderating Role of Persistence in the Relationship Between Implementation Intentions and Goal Progress

Two studies investigated whether one dimension of action–state orientation, namely, persistence-volatility, would moderate the effect of implementation intentions on goal progress. Results from Study 1 indicated that spontaneous implementation intentions predicted goal progress 2 weeks later only among participants who scored high on persistence. In Study 2, participants were randomly allocated to an implementation intentions group and a control group. Results indicated that persistence was positively associated with goal progress among participants in the implementation intentions group but not among those in the control group. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings were discussed.     

Reading and Social Imagination: What Relationally Oriented Reading Instruction Can Do for Children

Twenty-two second and third grade children experiencing difficulties with social relationships and reading comprehension participated in small group Relationally Oriented Reading Instruction for eight weeks. Developmental and literacy assessments done before and after the reading intervention showed statistically significant improvements in the understanding of text and in social imagination. Analysis of writing samples resulted in a typology of relationally oriented response. Together these data provide initial evidence linking the understanding of texts to the development of other relational capacities like social imagination, and indicate that purposeful use of picture books within relationally oriented reading instruction may enhance this development.     

Parenting behaviors and learning of Singapore students: The mediational role of achievement goals

This study examined the mediational role of achievement goals between parental behaviors and learning outcomes. A sample of 1667 Singapore Secondary 3 students took the measures of parental involvement in learning, parental control, mastery approach and avoidance goals, performance approach and avoidance goals, as well as seven learning outcome variables in their math study. We conducted complex structural equation modeling analysis to take into account the hierarchical structure of the data and found a good fit for the hypothesized partial mediation model. More specifically, parental involvement in learning was associated with an adaptive learning profile (i.e., self-regulated engagement in learning activities, low anxiety, high perceived competence, and high achievement), partially or mainly through its positive relationship with mastery approach goals. Parental control predicted a maladaptive coping orientation (i.e., low persistence and high anxiety) and low achievement partially through its positive relationship with mastery and performance avoidance goals. The findings are discussed in the academic context of Singapore.     

An examination of premarital sexual behavior among college students in hong kong

Abstract

This study examined the determinants of Hong Kong Chinese college students' intentions to engage in premarital sexual behavior. Fishbein and Ajzen's (1975) theory of reasoned action (TOFA) and Ajzen's (1985) perceived behavioral control were used as the theoretical framework for our investigation. Two hundred and thirty eight students completed a questionnaire designed to measure constructs of the two theories. Results from the regression analysis: (a) support the applicability of TORA in predicting these students' intentions to engage in premarital sex; (b) suggest that while attitudes toward engaging in premarital sex were more important in predicting male students' intentions, subjective norms were more important for female students; (c) reveal that the additional prediction contributed by the behavioral control components was relatively weak. Other findings were basically consistent with premarital sex research conducted in Western societies. Given the fact that promoting abstinence is one way to stop the transmission of the AIDS virus, both the theoretical and applied implications of our results for health intervention are discussed.     

Examining the role of parental self-regulation in family physical activity: A mixed-methods approach

Physical activity (PA) is essential for good health. However, parents risk becoming less active because of the demands of parenting. This has consequences for children as parents are role models. The present study used a mixed-methods approach to explore parental self-regulation associated with PA. Data were collected from 36 parents with preschool-aged children. They were interviewed about their PA and their family’s PA. Parents also completed PA and self-regulation questionnaires and wore an accelerometer for five days. Qualitative data were examined using an inductive approach to thematic analysis. It showed that parents felt that they had limited time for personal PA. Mothers’ self-regulation was driven by an ethic of care and subjective norms, whereas fathers’ self-regulation was driven by beliefs about the importance of autonomy. Nevertheless, both parents saw caring for their children as the main priority. Quantitative data were examined using multiple regression analyses. Results showed that different self-regulatory behaviours predicted the PA of mothers and fathers. Which predictors were significant depended on the type of activity and how it was measured. The findings warrant longitudinal research that would enable the effect of family dynamics on self-regulation associated with PA to be assessed.     

Juggling roles and expectations: dilemmas faced by women talking to relatives about cancer and genetic testing

Health professionals do not inform their patients’ kin about BRCA1/2 test results or genetic testing without their written consent. Thus, the onus is on women attending genetic counselling to talk to relatives about the family history and their potential increased risk. This communication process within the family is largely unexplored and provides the focus of the present study. Fifteen healthy women attending a genetics clinic for predictive testing were interviewed prior to receiving their test result and again 6 months later. A grounded theory approach was used. Findings illustrate the dilemmas women faced in juggling social roles and expectations, which had an impact on communication within the family in the context of predictive genetic testing. Tensions between responsibilities towards themselves and others and their fulfilment of social roles had an impact on who women informed and on how they did so. These factors should be considered when assigning patients the role of information provider.     

Expertise differences in a video decision-making task: Speed influences on performance

Video clips of different speeds were used in a simulation of decision-making in Australian football to test the effects on decision accuracy and decision time. Elite and sub-elite and novice Australian footballers watched videos in six speeds (0.75, 1.0, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75 and 2.0 times normal speed). Participants responded by using a mouse-click to indicate where they would pass the ball for that particular video clip. The elite and sub-elite groups also rated each clip for how ‘game-like’ the decision-making felt. The elite group was significantly more accurate than the sub-elite and novice groups, and the sub-elite group was more accurate than the novice group. Within-speed analysis showed the elite group excelled at the faster video speeds. The use of speeded video delineated clear expertise differences between the groups at the 1.5 speed. Elite and sub-elite players identified the 1.25 and 1.5 speeds as most ‘game-like’ for decision-making. These results show that athletes perceive moderately speeded video as more game-like. Speeded video is further speculated to have allowed elite athletes to perform more automatically, with a faster processing efficacy, a key characteristic of elite performance. This study suggests the use of speeded video as a potential new research paradigm to explore expertise and a viable method for future training interventions for decision-making.     

The Meaning of Childbearing Among IVF Service Users Assessed via Laddering Technique

The psychosocial issues related to infertility have been widely researched. However, the meaning a couple gives to childbearing remains a relatively unexplored area. This study explores the meaning making of Hong Kong Chinese couples who had received in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Eleven IVF-successful and seven IVF-unsuccessful informants were assessed using two complementary constructivist methods: laddering technique and constructivist-grounded theory analysis of in-depth interviews. Findings revealed four aspects of symbolic meaning of childbearing focused on the informant's sense of self, cultural values, existential purpose, and relations with others. The results also depicted infertility as a form of disenfranchised grief, following ambiguous loss, underscoring the need for counselors to explore the meaning of childbearing among IVF service users and the impact on their self-narratives as a function of treatment outcome.     

Training Addiction Counselors to Implement an Evidence-Based Intervention: Strategies for Increasing Organizational and Provider Acceptance

One barrier to widespread public access to empirically supported treatments (ESTs) is the limited availability and high cost of professionals trained to deliver them. Our earlier work from 2 clinical trials demonstrated that front-line addiction counselors could be trained to deliver a manualized, group-based cognitive behavioral therapy (GCBT) for depression, a prototypic example of an EST, with a high level of adherence and competence. This follow-up article provides specific recommendations for the selection and initial training of counselors, and for the structure and process of their ongoing clinical supervision. We highlight unique challenges in working with counselors unaccustomed to traditional clinical supervision. The recommendations are based on comprehensive feedback derived from clinician notes taken throughout the clinical trials, a focus group with counselors conducted 1 year following implementation, and interviews with key organization executives and administrators.