Meta-motivational dominance and sensation-seeking effects on motor performance and perceptions of challenge and pressure

AimsThe current study aimed at delineating the effects of meta-motivational dominance and sensation seeking on performing challenging and boring tasks under pressure-filled conditions. Apter's (Apter, M. J. (2001). An introduction to reversal theory. In M. J. Apter (Ed.), Motivational styles in everyday life: A guide to reversal theory (pp. 3–35). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association) reversal theory and Zuckerman's (Zuckerman, M. (1979). Sensation seeking: Beyond the optimum level of arousal. Hillsdale: Erlbaum) sensation-seeking (SS) theory were used to postulate that high SS and paratelic individuals would perform better on challenging tasks in pressure-filled situations than low SS and telic individuals. They have also been hypothesized to differ on perceived pressure, challenge perception, and determination.Study's designSeventy-three young adults were divided into two distinct groups, telic and sensation avoiders vs. paratelic and sensation seekers, based on two distinct questionnaires. The participants performed boring and challenging tasks under pressure-filled and normal conditions in a counter-balanced order. Each performance consisted of 3-blocked trials of 10 min each. Number of completions and errors were recorded.ResultsPressure had little to no effect on performance regardless of participants' meta-motivational dominance. Under pressure, perceived challenge was higher than under normal condition, and participants, as expected, felt more challenged when performing the apparatus task than when performing the vowel-circling task. Paratelics completed more vowel-circling and apparatus completions than did telic participants, but not to the desired level of significance.ConclusionsIt seems likely that paratelic individuals tried harder than telic individuals when put into a unique, measurable, and uncertain situation. It is likely that paratelics needing varied, novel, and challenging sensations along with playful and enjoyment felt more inclined to participate in both tasks with vigor and enthusiasm to fulfill their needs. It is suggested that it may be the intrinsic form of motivation, which paratelics possess, that allow for better performances.     

Therapists’ understandings and experiences of working with clients with problems of addiction: A pilot study using Q methodology

This pilot study aims to increase our understanding of therapists’ subjective attitudes, beliefs, and experiences of working with clients with problems of addiction. The study yielded useful clarifications, arising from the finding that opinions about the nature of addiction support different approaches to therapy. In addition, it seems that diverse or conflicting attitudes and beliefs are likely to impact on the ability of therapists to work together effectively. Another objective was to test the feasibility of using Q methodology in this study and more broadly in qualitative research in psychotherapy. Participants were 13 therapists from a variety of backgrounds and working in a range of agencies. Using Q methodology, four distinctive factors were identified, indicating divergent understandings of addiction. Each factor is shown to be a multifaceted construct which does not correspond to any single theory or therapeutic orientation. It is suggested that the results have significant implications for therapists’ training and supervision. In addition, this study demonstrates the capacity of Q methodology to identify commonalities and diversity in viewpoints which do not conform to a priori conceptualisations. As a pilot study, this paper invites further discussion and research.     

TEACHING SOCIAL SKILLS TO STUDENTS WITH AUTISM TO INCREASE PEER INTERACTIONS IN AN INTEGRATED FIRST-GRADE CLASSROOM

We investigated the use of social skills groups to facilitate increased social interactions for students with autism and their nonhandicapped peers in an integrated first-grade classroom. Social skills groups consisted of training students and peers in initiating, responding, and keeping interactions going; greeting others and conversing on a variety of topics; giving and accepting compliments; taking turns and sharing; asking for help and helping others; and including others in activities. Training occurred during the first 10 min of 20-min play groups, four times per week. Using a multiple baseline across subjects design, results demonstrated increases in the frequency of, time engaged in, and duration of social interactions, as well as the responsivity of students and peers to each other. Results were maintained when students were monitored and given feedback on social performance in play groups and during follow-up.     

Dispositional and task-specific social-cognitive determinants of physical effort perseverance

The authors performed 3 studies to investigate the effects of social-cognitive variables on physical effort perseverance. Linear hierarchical regressions indicated that task-specific variables and perceived ability or competence accounted for the majority of perseverance variance in all 3 studies. The strongest single predictors in this cluster of variables were perceived competence, confidence, and readiness to invest effort. Physical self-health and ability accounted for a lesser portion of effort perseverance variance, with self-presentation confidence being the major single predictor in this cluster. The goal orientation cluster accounted for the least amount of effort perseverance variance. Together with task-specific confidence and the readiness to invest effort, as well as determination and commitment and competence, the findings support the contention that task-specific efficacious beliefs to a large extent determine persistence and endurance behaviors.     

Trash talk in a competitive setting: Impact on self‐efficacy and affect

The effects of trash talk and competition outcome on self‐efficacy and affect were examined in 40 Madden? NFL 08 football video game players randomly assigned to two conditions: silence talk, where they played the first game in complete silence; and the second trash talking. Measures of self‐efficacy, positive affect (PA), and negative affect (NA) were administered. Results revealed that players enforced to be silent in the first game instantaneously exhibited lower self‐efficacy, lower PA, and higher NA than players permitted to talk in Game 1. However, players subsequently instructed to remain silent in the second game showed markedly decreased self‐efficacy compared to players permitted to talk in Game 2. Results are interpreted in light of the social‐cognitive‐motivational theory.     

Handedness in a virtual haptic environment: Assessments from kinematic behavior and modeling

This study evaluated hand asymmetries in performance of a dexterous, controlled task under haptic feedback. Participants punctured a virtual membrane with a pushing or pulling movement, using the left or right hand. For pulling movements, the dominant (right) hand exhibited faster average stopping latency and shorter skidding distance. When the kinematic data were fit to a three-phase model previously applied to this task (Klatzky et al., 2013), the right hand exhibited faster force decay attributable to biomechanical factors. Analyses of the aggregated performance measures and model parameters showed that the left and right hands are associated with two different distributions, supporting handedness effects. Furthermore, while the majority of participants expressed right-hand dominance, which was consistent with their self-reported hand preferences, others showed partial or no dominance. This approach could potentially be extended to quantify and differentiate individuals with difficulties in manual behavior due to abnormal motor control (e.g., dyspraxia), progressive deterioration (e.g., Parkinson's syndrome) or improvement (neural regrowth after transplant).