Predicting Outcomes or Modeling Process? Commentary on the Health Action Process Approach

Schwarzer (2008 ) reviews the evidence for two major contributions of the Health Action Process Approach model (HAPA) to current theory and behavioral health research: (1) the differentiation of concepts by both content and process, and (2) clear recognition of the temporal aspect in the assembly of health behavior sequences. This commentary discusses four areas for HAPA to address for a more complete explanation of health behaviors and their determinants. Further, we suggest that incorporating into HAPA the hierarchical structure of the control systems that regulate health behaviors and the importance of concrete experience in initiating and maintaining behavior, elements emphasised in the Commonsense Model of Self‐regulation, will enrich HAPA's theoretical base and increase its utility for the development of interventions for behavioral change. Schwarzer (2008 ) examine les données confirmant deux contributions majeures du modèle de l’Approche du Processus de l’Action en faveur de la Santé (HAPA) à la théorie et aux recherches sur les comportements relatifs à la santé: 1) La différenciation des concepts à la fois par le contenu et le processus, 2) Un repérage précis de la dimension temporelle dans l’articulation des séquences comportementales relevant de la santé. Ce commentaire aborde quatre points qui permettraient à l’HAPA de fournir une explication plus complète des conduites liées à la santé et de leurs antécédents. Il semble en outre que l’introduction dans l’HAPA de la structure hiérarchique des systèmes de contrôle qui régulent les comportements de santé et de l’aspect important qu’est l’expérience concrète dans l’amorce et le maintien du comportement, éléments mis en valeur par le Modèle du Sens Commun de l’Autorégulation, enrichirait les fondements théoriques de l’HAPA et augmenterait son utilité pour l’élaboration d’interventions en faveur du changement comportemental.     

Organizational identification and organizational commitment: Distinct aspects of two related concepts

The conceptual differences between organizational commitment and identification are discussed theoretically and examined empirically. The present study is based on data of 450 employees of five different organizations in Nepal. A revised eight-item scale was designed out of Cheney's Organizational Identification Questionnaire to assess the core aspects of organizational identification. In confirmatory factor analyses, identification was found to be distinguishable from four related commitment concepts (i.e. affective, continuance, normative, and attitudinal commitment).     

Substance use patterns of young offenders and violent crime

The use of alcohol is a significant predictor of the involvement of young offenders in violent crime. This study found that in a sample of 300 incarcerated juveniles in New South Wales, more than 70% admitted to violent crime. Detainees from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander culture were less likely than other detainees to be involved in violent crime. The substances most associated with violent crime were alcohol, followed by cocaine. However, when the likelihood that the young person has initiated violence as a response to alcohol or other substances is introduced into the equation, the direct effects for alcohol and cocaine predicting engagement in violent crime disappear. The Goldstein hypothesis that the effects of a substance directly facilitate violence, thereby accounting for the relationship between substances of use and violent crime, was supported. Aggr. Behav. 29:414–422, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Self‐service – a contradiction in terms or customer‐led choice?

This paper explores the reality of self‐service today from the customer perspective and identifies what organisations need to do to maximise their contribution to improving customer service in the future. It is based on the findings of an extensive study, including original consumer research and analysis, undertaken by the Future Foundation that was sponsored by a consortium of companies consisting of Broadsystem, BT, mmO2, BUPA and GIMRA (General Insurance Market Research Association). It is structured around a series of questions that the research was designed to answer, with clear recommendations for businesses coming out of each section. Copyright © 2003 Henry Stewart Publications.     

Crossing the Picket Line: A Brief Faculty Memoir of the Historic University of Bridgeport Strike

This memoir provides the personal story of a tenured poet who initially walked the picket line during the 1990 University of Bridgeport faculty strike. During the strike's second week, he made the difficult decision to cross the picket line of a union he helped create seventeen years earlier. He continually relives his strike experience.     

Human behavioral contributions to climate change: psychological and contextual drivers

We are facing rapid changes in the global climate, and these changes are attributable to human behavior. Humans produce this global impact through our use of natural resources, multiplied by the vast increase in population seen in the past 50 to 100 years. Our goal in this article is to examine the underlying psychosocial causes of human impact, primarily through patterns of reproduction and consumption. We identify and distinguish individual, societal, and behavioral predictors of environmental impact. Relevant research in these areas (as well as areas that would be aided by greater attention by psychologists) are reviewed. We conclude by highlighting ethical issues that emerge when considering how to address human behavioral contributions to climate change.     

Secular Tolerance? Anti‐Muslim Sentiment in Western Europe

The literature about secularization proposes two distinct explanations of anti‐Muslim sentiment in secularized societies. The first theory understands it in terms of religious competition between Muslims and the remaining minority of orthodox Protestants; the second understands it as resulting from value conflicts between Muslims and the nonreligious majority. The two theories are tested by means of a multilevel analysis of the European Values Study 2008. Our findings indicate that, although more secularized countries are on average more tolerant towards Muslims and Islam, strongest anti‐Muslim attitudes are nonetheless found among the nonreligious in these countries.     

Exploring Initiative as a Signal of Knowledge Co‐Construction During Collaborative Problem Solving

Peer interaction has been found to be conducive to learning in many settings. Knowledge co‐construction (KCC) has been proposed as one explanatory mechanism. However, KCC is a theoretical construct that is too abstract to guide the development of instructional software that can support peer interaction. In this study, we present an extensive analysis of a corpus of peer dialogs that we collected in the domain of introductory Computer Science. We show that the notion of task initiative shifts correlates with both KCC and learning. Speakers take task initiative when they contribute new content that advances problem solving and that is not invited by their partner; if initiative shifts between the partners, it indicates they both contribute to problem solving. We found that task initiative shifts occur more frequently within KCC episodes than outside. In addition, task initiative shifts within KCC episodes correlate with learning for low pre‐testers, and total task initiative shifts correlate with learning for high pre‐testers. As recognizing task initiative shifts does not require as much deep knowledge as recognizing KCC, task initiative shifts as an indicator of productive collaboration are potentially easier to model in instructional software that simulates a peer.