Relationships among goal orientations, motivational climate and flow in adolescent athletes: differences by gender

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationships among perceived motivational climate, individuals' goal orientations, and dispositional flow, with attention to possible gender differences. A sample of 413 young athletes, ages 12 to 16 years, completed the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire-2 (PMCSQ-2) and Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ), as well as the Dispositional Flow Scale. Task orientation was positively and significantly related to a perceived task-involving motivational climate and to the disposition to experience flow in the sport. Ego orientation was positively and significantly associated with a perceived ego-involving motivational climate and with dispositional flow. The perceptions of task-involving and ego-involving motivational climates were positively and significantly linked to general dispositional flow. Multiple regression analysis indicated that both task and ego goal orientations and perceived task- and ego-oriented climates predicted dispositional flow. Males displayed a stronger ego orientation, and were more likely to report that they participated in an ego-oriented climate, than did females. To the contrary, the females were more likely to perceive a task-oriented climate than did the males. No meaningful differences were found between males and females in general dispositional flow.     

Social support network and adjustment of minors in residential child care

In this study, the relationship between the social support network and the personal, social and academic adjustment of minors in residential care is analyzed. The sample consisted of 102 minors who lived in residential care and who completed the Social Support Questionnaire and the TAMAI. The results show that social support from the family, despite its being the greatest provider of support, does not affect the minors' adjustment. Neither does social support from peers affect their adjustment. However, social support from adults outside the family, and mainly their affection, seems to have a positive influence on the minors' adjustment, particularly at school and in social settings. These results are discussed in relation to their implications for the improvement of programs of residential child care.     

The easy-to-hard effect in human (Homo sapiens) and rat (Rattus norvegicus) auditory identification

The authors examined whether progressively training humans and rats to perform a difficult auditory identification task led to larger improvements than extensive training with highly similar sounds (the easy-to-hard effect). Practice improved humans' ability to distinguish sounds regardless of the training regimen. However, progressively trained subjects were more accurate and showed more generalization, despite significantly less training with the stimuli that were the most difficult to distinguish. Rats showed less capacity to improve with practice but still benefited from progressive training. These findings indicate that transitioning from an easier to a more difficult task during training can facilitate, and in some cases may be essential for, auditory perceptual learning. The results are not predicted by an explanation that assumes interaction of generalized excitation and inhibition but are consistent with a hierarchical account of perceptual learning in which the representational precision required to distinguish stimuli determines the mechanisms engaged during learning.     

Ontogeny of manipulative behavior and nut‐cracking in young tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella): a Perception–action perspective

How do capuchin monkeys learn to use stones to crack open nuts? Perception–action theory posits that individuals explore producing varying spatial and force relations among objects and surfaces, thereby learning about affordances of such relations and how to produce them. Such learning supports the discovery of tool use. We present longitudinal developmental data from semifree‐ranging tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) to evaluate predictions arising from Perception–action theory linking manipulative development and the onset of tool‐using. Percussive actions bringing an object into contact with a surface appeared within the first year of life. Most infants readily struck nuts and other objects against stones or other surfaces from 6 months of age, but percussive actions alone were not sufficient to produce nut‐cracking sequences. Placing the nut on the anvil surface and then releasing it, so that it could be struck with a stone, was the last element necessary for nut‐cracking to appear in capuchins. Young chimpanzees may face a different challenge in learning to crack nuts: they readily place objects on surfaces and release them, but rarely vigorously strike objects against surfaces or other objects. Thus the challenges facing the two species in developing the same behavior (nut‐cracking using a stone hammer and an anvil) may be quite different. Capuchins must inhibit a strong bias to hold nuts so that they can release them; chimpanzees must generate a percussive action rather than a gentle placing action. Generating the right actions may be as challenging as achieving the right sequence of actions in both species. Our analysis suggests a new direction for studies of social influence on young primates learning sequences of actions involving manipulation of objects in relation to surfaces.     

The effectiveness of psychoanalysis in a case study using multi‐perspective methodology: Conflict in choosing a partner due to transgenerational mandate

A case study is presented to evaluate the effectiveness of psychoanalysis and the persistence of its benefits 20 years later in a young woman with severe depression, professional inhibition, and difficulties in partner selection due to transgenerational mandate (TGM). The investigation was carried out with psychoanalytic interviews with the patient and analyst, which were evaluated by both psychoanalytic and non‐psychoanalytic judges following a methodology based on one tested in Germany by Leuzinger‐Bohleber et al. (2003). The psychoanalytic treatment began in the early 1980s in Monterrey, Mexico. The study concludes that the psychoanalysis was effective in assisting with the patient's character disorder and partner selection, mainly because of the therapeutic alliance, the analysis of transference and character, and the patient's increased capacity for mentalization as a result of the interpretation of the TGMs.     

Mental Health Practitioners: The Relationship Between White Racial Identity Attitudes and Self‐Reported Multicultural Counseling Competencies

This study documents the relationship between White racial identity development and multicultural counseling competency (MCC) as reported by mental health practitioners. Initial results were generally consistent with J. E. Helms's (1990) construction of White racial identity attitude development theory. More sophisticated statuses of White racial identity development generally correlated with higher levels of perceived MCC. Overall, there was a significant difference in MCC reported between men and women. Among counselors, conflicting relationships were observed between some racial identity statuses and multicultural competencies (skills, relationship).     

Estimating the effect of emotional intelligence in wellbeing among priests

Background/Objective: Emotional intelligence is a variable which has been the subject of significantly increased research in recent years. Relationships have been shown with both physical and psychological problems. The aim of this study is to analyse the direct and indirect effect that emotional intelligence exerts over the manifestation of physical and psychological clinical symptomatology and to severe disorders such as burnout syndrome in a professional group in which social function is fundamental. Method: So that, 881 Latin-American catholic priests (M_age = 45.89; SD_age = 11.58) were evaluated using the Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24, the Maslach Burnout Inventory-22 and the General Health Questionnaire-28. Results: Using path analysis, emotional intelligence, especially Attention and Emotional Clarity, shows a high effect on psychological and somatic issues. Conclusions: Thus, both specific disorders and general well-being are related to emotional intelligence. Providing effective emotional intelligence training sessions seems to be able to reduce possible physical and emotional disorders.     

On the Bayesian Nonparametric Generalization of IRT-Type Models

We study the identification and consistency of Bayesian semiparametric IRT-type models, where the uncertainty on the abilities’ distribution is modeled using a prior distribution on the space of probability measures. We show that for the semiparametric Rasch Poisson counts model, simple restrictions ensure the identification of a general distribution generating the abilities, even for a finite number of probes. For the semiparametric Rasch model, only a finite number of properties of the general abilities’ distribution can be identified by a finite number of items, which are completely characterized. The full identification of the semiparametric Rasch model can be only achieved when an infinite number of items is available. The results are illustrated using simulated data.