The moderating role of intrinsic value in the relation between psychological needs support and academic engagement in mathematics among Chinese adolescent students

This study was to assess the moderating roles of intrinsic value in the relation of basic psychological needs support to academic engagement in mathematics. We recruited 246 middle school students by using the Basic Psychological Needs Support Scale, the Intrinsic Value Scale and the Academic Engagement Scale. This study found that both basic psychological needs support and intrinsic value had significant predictions on the three aspects of academic engagement. Moreover, the interaction item between basic psychological needs support and intrinsic value could significantly affect emotional and cognitive engagement, but not behavioural engagement. The findings indicated that except for behavioural engagement, the associations between basic psychological need support and emotional or cognitive engagement could be moderated by intrinsic value. This study provides a special perspective for educators and researchers to recognise the role of intrinsic value in promoting adolescents' higher levels of involvement in mathematics class.     

The Psychometric Evaluation of the Satisfaction with Life Scale Using a Nationally Representative Sample of China

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) in terms of internal consistency reliability, factorial validity, and measurement invariance across gender, age, residential region (metropolitan area/county town/rural area), educational level, and household income with a nationally representative sample of 4,795 participants in China. The percentages of male (47.0%) and female (53.0%) participants were about equal, and the mean age was 38.56 years (SD = 11.87). The results show that the SWLS has a high internal consistency reliability, a one-factor structure (with a wording effect on Items 4 and 5), strict invariance across gender, partial strict invariance across education (Items 1, 2 and 3), and partial strong invariance across age, income (Items 1, 2 and 3) and residential region (Items 1 and 2). The non-invariance of some items across age and region is discussed in terms of the rapid economic and social transitions of China in the past three decades.     

Chronicity and severity of maternal postpartum depression and infant sleep disorders: a population-based cohort study in southern Brazil

A cohort study was conducted with 397 women randomly selected from the Brazilian National System of Public Health, to describe the prevalence rates of infant sleep problems at 12-month of life, and its association with chronicity and severity of maternal depressive symptoms. Mothers were assessed, first, from the 9th to the 12th week postpartum and then at 12 months after delivery, with EPDS and a self-rating questionnaire regarding babies’ sleep behavior. After controlling for possible confounders, babies whose mothers had severe chronic depressive symptoms were at higher risk for sleep disorder at 12 months of birth.     

Use of multimodal imagery with precompetitive anxiety and stress of elite tennis players

The effect of multimodal imagery on anxiety and perceived stress was investigated in 46 male tennis players (16 to 18 yr.; M = 17.0, SD = 0.8). There were two groups, a multimodal imagery group and a control imagery group. The quasi-experimental design included pre- and post-treatment administrations of the 27-item Competitive State Anxiety Inventory to assess anxiety and the Perceived Stress Scale to assess stress. Analysis showed a statistically significant multivariate difference between the multimodal imagery and control groups on measures of cognitive anxiety, self-confidence, and perceived stress. Imagery plays a role in handling some specific types of anxiety and stress.     

Sometimes a Bear is Just a Bear: No Evidence of Nonclinical Adult Toy Animal Ownership Indicating Emotion Dysregulation

Although some studies of clinical populations suggest an association of adult toy animal ownership with personality disorder, studies of nonclinical populations have been lacking. In a nonclinical young adult sample (N?=?148), we found no association of toy animal ownership with use of immature, mature, or neurotic defense mechanisms; avoidant or anxious attachment style; trait conscientiousness; heart rate variability (an index of self-regulatory strength); or social desirability responding. The results do not provide evidence for an association of adult nonclinical toy animal ownership with psychological or psychophysiological indices of immaturity, conscientiousness, insecure attachment, or lack of self-regulatory strength.     

Gait and risk of falls associated with frontal cognitive functions at different stages of Alzheimer's disease

ABSTRACT The decline in frontal cognitive functions contributes to alterations of gait and increases the risk of falls in patients with dementia, a category which included Alzheimer's disease (AD). The objective of the present study was to compare the gait parameters and the risk of falls among patients at different stages of AD, and to relate these variables with cognitive functions. This is a cross-sectional study with 23 patients with mild and moderate AD. The Clinical Dementia Rating was used to classify the dementia severity. The kinematic parameters of gait (cadence, stride length, and stride speed) were analyzed under two conditions: (a) single task (free gait) and (b) dual task (walking and counting down). The risk of falls was evaluated using the Timed Up-and-Go test. The frontal cognitive functions were evaluated using the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), the Clock Drawing Test (CDT) and the Symbol Search Subtest. The patients who were at the moderate stage suffered reduced performance in their stride length and stride speed in the single task and had made more counting errors in the dual task and still had a higher fall risk. Both the mild and the moderate patients exhibited significant decreases in stride length, stride speed and cadence in the dual task. Was detected a significant correlation between CDT, FAB, and stride speed in the dual task condition. We also found a significant correlation between subtest Similarities, FAB and cadence in the dual task condition. The dual task produced changes in the kinematic parameters of gait for the mild and moderate AD patients and the gait alterations are related to frontal cognitive functions, particularly executive functions.     

自由意志:实证心理学的视角

自由意志是哲学史上最古老、最持久和最艰难的问题之一,并且一直是哲学,包括实证主义哲学和人文主义哲学关注的问题.近年来,心理学家开始尝试用实证科学的方法探索自由意志的心理机制、影响及表达.研究发现虽然自由意志是一种错觉,但人们仍然相信它的存在,并受到它的影响.自由意志与道德责任、道德行为、创造力、自尊和幸福等概念有密切关系.未来研究应在自由意志的概念界定、产生机制、作用功能等方面进行更深入的探索,并从实证、理论和常识三种水平上综合考察、理解自由意志问题.     

Influence of wearing an unstable shoe construction on compensatory control of posture

This study investigated the influence of wearing unstable shoe construction (WUS) on compensatory postural adjustments (CPA) associated with external perturbations. Thirty-two subjects stood on a force platform resisting an anterior-posterior horizontal force applied to a pelvic belt via a cable, which was suddenly released. They stood under two conditions: barefoot and WUS. The electromyographic (EMG) activity of gastrocnemius medialis, tibialis anterior, rectus femoris, biceps femoris, rectus abdominis, and erector spinae muscles and the center of pressure (CoP) displacement were acquired to study CPA. The EMG signal was used to assess individual muscle activity and latency, antagonist co-activation and reciprocal activation at joint and muscle group levels. Compared to barefoot, WUS led to: (1) increased gastrocnemius medialis activity, (2) increased total agonist activity, (3) decreased antagonist co-activation at the ankle joint and muscle group levels, (4) increased reciprocal activation at the ankle joint and muscle group levels, and (5) decrease in all muscle latencies. No differences were observed in CoP displacement between conditions. These findings demonstrate that WUS led to a reorganization of the postural control system associated to improved performance of some components of postural control responses.     

Psychologically Distinct Classes of Motor Behavior Inferred from Individual Differences: Evidence from a Sequential Stacking Task

A number of studies have demonstrated regularities in how individuals select and perform single object manipulations, but little work has been concerned with the manipulation of multiple objects. To this end, the authors asked participants to stack a set of linearly spaced containers onto various goal locations. Our aim was to determine whether participants adopted specific strategies to complete this task. We focused on whether the distance between the objects, the goal location of the objects, or both, determined the classes of movement sequences that individuals used to perform the task. The results showed that some individuals tended to use one hand for lifting and releasing the containers whereas other individuals tended to use both hands for lifting and releasing the containers. Those participants who tended to use one hand varied which hand was used according to the goal location of the containers but not the distance between containers. The emergence of these individual differences provides a new basis for inferring psychologically distinct classes of motor behavior.