Wearable activity schedules to promote independence in young children

Activity schedules consist of a series of visual discriminative stimuli, arranged in booklets or binders, which function as prompts for appropriate behavior. Although activity schedules are useful, their typical presentation in binders can be cumbersome and stigmatizing, placing additional barriers for independence and inclusion. The purpose of the present studies was to evaluate the usefulness of a wearable activity schedule and determine whether prompts provided by it would be sufficient to support completion of a complex chain of behaviors by young children. In Experiment 1, the Octopus watch® provided prompts to children of typical development to complete a morning routine independently. In Experiment 2, the usefulness of the watch was evaluated in children with autism spectrum disorder engaged in play activities in a clinical setting. In both experiments, children reliably displayed a greater proportion of independent engagement in target behaviors when prompts were delivered by the watch compared to control conditions.     

Psycho-Educational Group Intervention Based on Reality Therapy to Cope with Academic Procrastination

This study explored the efficacy of a psycho-educational group intervention based on reality therapy for treating youth with academic procrastination. The participants consisted of undergraduates from a state university located in the Eastern Black Sea Region in Turkey. A 10-session training program based on reality therapy was implemented with the experimental group, and a no treatment control group served as the comparison. Pre-test, post-test, and follow-up measure for the experimental and control groups were analyzed used in the research. Two-way analysis of variance split plot design. The findings showed that the training program had an effect on decreasing undergraduates’ academic procrastination behavior.     

Beliefs about Memory as a Mediator of Relations between Metacognitive Beliefs and Actual Memory Performance

The goal of the present study was to investigate relationships between personal beliefs about memory, metacognitive beliefs, and actual memory performance. One hundred thirty-seven participants' (aged 20 to 60 years) metacognitive beliefs were measured using the Metacognition Questionnaire (MCQ-30), memory beliefs were measured using the Personal Beliefs about Memory Instrument (PBMI), and an episodic memory task was used to measure actual memory performance, memory predictions, and postdictions. Younger adults had lower scores on the positive beliefs subfactor of the MCQ-30, higher scores on retrospective change and control subfactors of the PBMI, and outperformed middle-aged adults on recall and recall postdiction. Path analysis showed that individuals' beliefs about memory mediate the relationship between metacognitive beliefs and actual memory performance. Specifically, low lack of confidence (or less worry) in one's own memory and attentional capabilities was related to higher memory performance and positive personal beliefs regarding specific memory ability mediated relationship.     

Gender gap in reading achievement: the mediating role of metacognitive strategies and reading-related attitudes

The purpose of this study is to explain the gender differences in reading achievement with the mediating role of metacognitive strategies and reading-related attitudes. Hypotheses were tested with 6890 students [3396 (49.3%) females, 3494 (50.7%) males] who participated in PISA 2018 in Turkey. The path analysis results indicated that gender had significant associations with metacognitive strategies and reading-related attitudes. One remarkable result is that gender affected metacognitive strategies about lower cognitive levels more than strategies about higher cognitive levels, and that the female advantage was reduced for upper metacognitive strategies. Additionally, reading-related attitudes, except for perception of reading competence, and metacognitive strategies were significantly associated with reading achievement. In addition, the results revealed that metacognitive strategies and reading-related attitudes, except for perception of reading competence, fully mediated gender and reading achievement. Overall, the results show that the gender difference in reading achievement is not only due to gender itself, but may also be due to differentiation of the metacognitive strategies and reading-related attitudes of girls and boys. As a result, the teaching of metacognitive strategies and development of reading-related attitudes to students are recommended, in order to reduce the gender gap in reading achievement. Limitations, practical implications, and recommendations for future research are discussed.

     

Does Problem Focused Coping Buffer the Effects of Trait Anxiety on Depressive Symptoms of Chronic Urticaria Patients?

The present study examined the moderating role of problem-focused coping in trait anxiety—depressive symptoms' relationship in patients with chronic urticaria (CU). Eighty-eight CU patients, who applied to an outpatient clinic of Clinical Immunology and Allergic Diseases, filled out a questionnaire set including State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Ways of Coping Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory. The results suggested that CU patients high on trait anxiety reported more depressive symptoms, and the ones using more problem-focused coping (PFC) strategies reported less depressive symptoms. Also, PFC strategies moderated trait anxiety-depressive symptoms relation. Accordingly, PFC strategies did not lead to any significant difference in CU patients who were low on trait anxiety in terms of the level of depressive symptoms. However, CU patients with high trait anxiety experienced significantly less depressive symptoms if they used more PFC strategies. The findings were discussed in the light of the relevant literature.     

Do Ramadan Fasting Restrictions Alter Eating Behaviours in Obese Women?

Ramadan fasting can be considered as a kind of dietary restriction. Eating restriction is a risk factor for later development of eating disorders. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether Ramadan fasting changes the eating behaviours of obese women. Our sample consisted of 34 obese women who fasted during the Ramadan month. The data were collected by using Questionnaire Form, Eating Attitude Test (EAT) and Bulimic Investigatory Test, Edinburgh (BITE). No statistically significant differences were found between the scores of EAT, BITE, BMI, which were administered within the weeks before and after Ramadan. According to our results, Ramadan fasting restrictions do not seem to change the eating behaviours of obese women.     

Hidden Dimensions of Creativity Elements in Design Process

The aim of the study was to determine the items that can be evaluated as the components of creativity in design process. Factor analysis was applied to determine how well the items corresponded with the explored creativity characteristics. An overall component analysis was conducted to achieve a holistic approach to creative design process. It is found that the primary dimension responsible of 46% of the total variance is only composed of product components. The second dimension responsible of 19.54%, and the third dimension responsible of 14.46% of the total variance are both composed of the interaction of person and process components. Therefore, it can be concluded that the product is the strongest factor in determining creativity in design process.     

Religiosity and Self-Esteem of Muslim Immigrants to the United States: The Moderating Role of Perceived Discrimination

The present study investigated the moderating effect of perceived discrimination in a sample of Muslim immigrants (N = 174). Sex differences on perceived discrimination, religiosity, and self-esteem were examined. Results suggested a significant difference between Muslim men and women in regards to measures of religiosity. Men displayed higher religiosity scores. Results also indicated a significant positive relationship between measures of religiosity and perceived discrimination. Our results also provided full support for the moderating role of perceived discrimination. Implications of these findings for psychologists and future research examining these relationships are addressed.