Motion prediction and the velocity effect in children

In coincidence‐timing studies, children have been shown to respond too early to slower stimuli and too late to faster stimuli. To examine this velocity effect, children aged 6, 7.5, 9, 10.5, and adults were tested with two different velocities in a prediction‐motion task which consisted of judging, after the occlusion of the final part of its path, the moment of arrival of a moving stimulus towards a specified position. A similar velocity effect, resulting in later responses for the faster velocities than for the slower, was found primarily in the three younger groups of children (for the longer occlusion conditions: 600–1,320 milliseconds). However, this effect was not seen in all children in these groups. Individual analyses showed that this velocity effect, when present, is linked to the use of distance rather than time information, or to the confusion between these in extrapolating the occluded trajectories. The tendency to use one type of information or the other is a good predictor of accuracy and variability in this task and a good indicator of the development stage of the participants. Across development, children tend to initially use distance information with poor accuracy but relative consistency in responses. In a second stage, they use time and distance information alternatively across trials trying to find a better source of information with still poor accuracy and now great variability. In a final stage, they use time information to reach consistency and accuracy in their responses. This chronology follows the stages proposed by Savelesbergh and Van der Kamp (2000) explaining development with an initial stage of ‘freezing’ non‐optimal relationships between information and movement, then a ‘freeing’ stage during which new solutions are searched for, and finally an ‘exploiting’ stage with an optimal relationship between information and movement.     

Tolerant macaque species are less impulsive and reactive

Animal Cognition - Inhibitory control, the inhibition of impulsive behaviours, is believed to be key in navigating a complex social environment. Species characterised by higher social tolerance,...     

On the temporal stability of self-determined work motivation profiles: a latent transition analysis

ABSTRACT

This study extends the research and theory on work motivation by examining temporal stability and change in employees’ self-determined work motivation profiles and their differential relations to various predictors and outcomes. We gathered data at two time points over a 24-month period from a sample of 438 newly registered public health care nurses. Results of latent profile and latent transition analyses revealed four distinct profiles (strongly, moderately, self-determined, and poorly motivated), estimated from the position of global and specific behavioural regulations on the motivation continuum proposed by self-determination theory. These profiles were entirely stable at the within-sample level, although within-person changes in profile membership occurred for 30–40% of employees. Of particular interest, perceptions of job resources were consistently associated with greater likelihood of membership in the strongly and moderately motivated profiles. These profiles were also consistently associated with lower emotional exhaustion and intentions to leave the occupation and the organization and with higher in-role performance compared to the self-determined and poorly motivated profiles.     

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms and Entrepreneurial Orientation: A Replication Note

There is a small body of literature linking attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its symptoms to entrepreneurial manifestations. Some studies take a subclinical perspective by studying the presence of symptoms, while other studies take a clinical perspective by studying the formal diagnosis of ADHD. The entrepreneurial manifestations examined range from entrepreneurial intention to the choice to become self-employed and from entrepreneurial orientation (EO) to entrepreneurial success. Despite its prominence in the entrepreneurship literature, to date only one study tested for a link with EO. The present study aims to replicate the relationship between ADHD symptoms and EO using a large data set of French small business owners. We do so by discriminating between the two dimensions of ADHD, namely attention-deficit and hyperactivity, as well as the three dimensions of EO, namely innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk-taking. We do not find a link between ADHD and EO, although we do find a positive link between ADHD and the risk-taking subdimension of EO. Hyperactivity symptoms are positively related to EO, which is mainly driven by the subdimensions proactiveness and risk-taking. We do not find a link between attention-deficit symptoms and EO, though there is a negative link between attention-deficit and proactiveness.