Atribución de la causalidad y motivación de logro. II: Estudio evolutivo de la influencia de las atribuciones en el nivel manifiesto de motivación de logro

Resumen

Este artículo incluye dos estudios sobre las relaciones entre la motivación de logro y las atribuciones causales realizados desde una perspectiva evolutiva. En ambos se han examinado 180 sujetos, 60 de 1.°, 60 de 3.° y 60 de 5.° de ECB. El primero, como se esperaba, ha mostrado que sólo desde 5.° de EGB las diferencias existentes dentro de cada una de las variables estudiadas se relacionan igual que en ios adultos, siendo más frecuente la atribución de los resultados al «esfuerzo» en el caso de sujetos con alta motivación. Igualmente han aparecido diferencias significativas entre las atribuciones de ambos grupos de sujetos en I.° de ECB a la «dificultad de la tarea», siendo menor este tipo de atribución en caso de motivación baja. Se ha sugerido una explicación para este resultado no esperado. En el segundo estudio, los resultados no han sido concluyentes en relación con la hipótesis propuesta. Ante este hecho se ha sugerido y comentado una posible explicación.     

Estudio sobre la validez de constructo de los cuestionarios MAPE,EAT y ECO

Resumen

Este artículo presenta un estudio sobre la validez de constructo de los cuestionarios MAPE, EAT y ECO. Mediante el análisis de las correlaciones entre las escalas de estos cuestionarios se ponen a prueba los supuestos de distintas teorías sobre las relaciones entre motivos relacionados con el logro, patrones atributivos y expectativas de control. Los resultados son consistentes con la teoría de Dweck y Elliot en la mayoría de los casos. También ponen de manifiesto que la atribución del fracaso a la falta de esfuerzo puede deberse a diferentes causas, dadas las implicaciones psicológicas encontradas, lo que constituye un resultado no esperado. Finalmente, se comentan las implicaciones de los resultados para la investigación y para el uso aplicado de estos cuestionarios.     

Reuse and Recycle: The Development of Adaptive Expertise,Routine Expertise,and Novelty in a Large Research Team

Combining innovation and efficiency is ideal in many organizational settings. Adaptive expertise represents a cognitive explanation of how individuals and teams can learn to achieve simultaneous innovation and efficiency. In 2004, scientists led twin rovers on Mars in the search for historical water. The science team experienced a remarkable increase in efficiency, adapting with flexibility to unexpected events and dynamic, dwindling resources. After discussing the conceptual differences between adaptive expertise and related team learning and innovation concepts, we examine longitudinal behavioral data on novelty, routine and adaptive expertise. Sequential time series ARIMA analyses reveal that novelty fluctuated randomly, but both routine and adaptive expertise significantly increased over time. In addition, novelty, routine expertise, and adaptive expertise did not significantly predict each other directly or at a lag, suggesting that these are indeed three distinct constructs. Implications for theory and research on efficiency and innovation are discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Authentic leadership and its relationships with work engagement and organizational citizenship behaviors in military units: The role of identification as a mediating variable

The objective of the study is to explore the relationship of authentic leadership with work engagement and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) in military units, measuring the mediating effect of personal identification with the leader and social identification with the military unit. We used the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique to analyze data from a sample of 225 Spanish military troops. The results showed that social identification with the military unit influenced the relationship of authentic leadership with the outcome variables.     

Assessment of the efficacy of a peer mentoring program in a university setting

In the present study, the efficacy of a formal mentoring program applied to fourth and fifth year students of the Psychology Faculty of the Complutense University is assessed. In this program, fifth-year students took on the role of mentors and fourth-year students, the role of mentees. To assess the efficacy, the group of mentors was compared with a group of non-mentors and the group of mentees with a group of non-mentees, before and after the program, taking into account the variables related to career development function (knowledge acquired of the academic setting and satisfaction with the career of Psychology) and the psychosocial function (self-concept, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and involvement). The results show a statistically significant increase in the knowledge acquired about the academic setting as a consequence of the program, both in the group of mentors and in the group of mentees. Moreover, the mentors achieved a better average grade in the subjects of the specialty of Work Psychology. There were no statistically significant differences between the experimental group and the control group in satisfaction with the career of Psychology, or in self-concept, self-esteem, or self-efficacy.     

Rehabilitating civilian victims of war through psychosocial intervention in Sierra Leone

This research assessed an intervention (involving drug therapy and psychoeducational counseling) for war trauma in Sierra Leone. We examine the impact of the intervention on symptoms of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and indicators of intergroup emotions and attitudes. Civilian war victims were drawn from a rehabilitation program (Intervention, N=50) or a waiting list Control group (N=50). The rehabilitation program combined general psychiatric treatment with additional life skills support. Those in the Intervention group had significantly lower PTSD symptoms and also scored lower on Intergroup Anxiety and Outgroup Blame, than those in Control. The intervention had an indirect effect on PTSD symptoms through Intergroup Anxiety. The reduction in PTSD in the intervention was greater for participants with a stronger identification with Sierra Leone.     

Behavioral Unit of Selection and the Operant-Respondent Distinction: The role of Neurophysiological Events in Controlling the Verbal Behavior of Theorizing about Behavior

The Psychological Record - The aim of this article is to discuss the following questions: Can neurophysiology reveal something new about behavior—something that we could not know only by...     

Prenatal dopamine and neonatal behavior and biochemistry

Depressed pregnant women (N=126) were divided into high and low prenatal maternal dopamine (HVA) groups based on a tertile split on their dopamine levels at 20 weeks gestation. The high versus the low dopamine group had lower Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) scores, higher norepinephrine levels at the 20-week gestational age visit and higher dopamine and serotonin levels at both the 20- and the 32-week gestational age visits. The neonates of the mothers with high versus low prenatal dopamine levels also had higher dopamine and serotonin levels as well as lower cortisol levels. Finally, the neonates in the high dopamine group had better autonomic stability and excitability scores on the Brazelton Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale. Thus, prenatal maternal dopamine levels appear to be negatively related to prenatal depression scores and positively related to neonatal dopamine and behavioral regulation, although these effects are confounded by elevated serotonin levels.