The “Sprinter effect”: When self-control and involvement stand in the way of sequential performance

This research examines the joint effect of dispositional self-control and situational involvement on performance in two successive resource-demanding tasks. We demonstrate that being highly involved and having high self-control facilitates high performance in the first task but, contrary to intuition, may jeopardize performance in a second, unexpected task. We term this the “sprinter effect” and demonstrate it in both lab and field settings. We further explore how a “marathon” mindset can debias this effect.     

The sense of self-efficacy of aspiring principals: exploration in a dynamic concept

The main purpose of this longitudinal study was to conceptualize the self-efficacy of aspiring principals as a dynamic concept. This study aimed to explore the structure and relations between the components of self-efficacy and to determine the nature and direction of change in the perceived self-efficacy of aspiring principals following a 2-year training program. The study was based on Facet Theory (Gutman, Psychmetrika 33:469–506, 1968), but also included some traditional statistics. The present study was carried out in two stages during 2005–2007. One-hundred and fifty aspiring principals from five academic colleges and universities in Israel who participated in a 2-year training program completed the same self-efficacy questionnaire during the first month of the program (October 2005—stage 1 and during the last month of the program (May 2007—stage 2). The nature as well as the direction of the aspiring principals’ perceived self-efficacy changed following the 2-year training program. The perception of the nature of the principal’s role remained unchanged.     

Love alters autonomic reactivity to emotions

Periods of bond formation are accompanied by physiological and emotional changes, yet, little is known about the effects of falling in love on the individual's physiological response to emotions. We examined autonomic reactivity to the presentation of negative and positive films in 112 young adults, including 57 singles and 55 new lovers who began a romantic relationship 2.5 months prior to the experiment Autonomic reactivity was measured by Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA) to two baseline emotionally neutral films, two negative films, and two positive films. Results demonstrated that RSA in singles decreased during the presentation of negative emotions, indicating physiological stress response. However, no such decrease was found among new lovers, pointing to more optimal vagal regulation during the period of falling in love. Autonomic reactivity, indexed by RSA decrease from the positive to the negative films, was greater among singles as compared to lovers, suggesting that love buffers against autonomic stress and facilitates emotion regulation. Findings suggest that vagal regulation may be one mechanism through which love and attachment reduce stress and promote well-being and health.     

The relations between preferences for using abilities, self-estimated abilities, and measured abilities among career counseling clients

The present research investigated the relations among the declared preferred degree for using career-related abilities in one’s future career, self-estimates of these abilities, and measured abilities in a sample of 201 career-counseling clients. The highest correlations (range .57-.65) were found between the preferred degree for using an ability and the self-estimates of the ability. However, the direction of the gap between self-estimates and preferred degree of use varied among clients and among abilities. Clients also varied in the pattern of differences between their measured abilities and self-estimates, with 69% of the clients overestimating their abilities, while only 9% underestimated them. The hypothesis that self-estimate mediates the relation between one’s preference for using an ability and the respective measured ability was supported. The correlation between a client’s measured ability and preferred degree of use was higher among clients with a fairly accurate self-estimate than among those whose self-estimates were biased. Implications for research and counseling are discussed.     

Trauma-Informed Knowledge and Practices in School Psychology: A Pilot Study and Review

Growing acknowledgement that adverse childhood experiences are widespread and can threaten healthy development has led to advocacy for schools to systematically incorporate trauma-sensitive practices and policies. While the background and training of school psychologists would seem to make them the ideal professionals to lead such work, little is known regarding their preparedness to engage in these school-based practices. The current pilot study examines the experiences, education and training, confidence and competence, current and desired roles, and perceived barriers and supports of school psychology trainers, trainees, and practitioners to engage in trauma-informed practices within schools. Results indicated that high majorities reported scant knowledge or competencies across domains of professional practice considered essential to trauma-informed care delivery. Findings and implications are discussed.     

Maternal versus nonmaternal care and seven domains of children's development

A series of meta-analyses was conducted on findings from 59 studies to examine the linkage between maternal versus nonmaternal care, 7 indices of child behavior, and 10 potential moderators. Results indicate that children receiving nonmaternal care do not differ from children receiving maternal care on any of the 7 indices. Year of publication and psychometrics of outcome index were found to moderate the linkage between maternal versus nonmaternal care and attachment classification and between maternal versus nonmaternal care and child adjustment, respectively. Examination of the simultaneous impact of extent of care and age of entry on attachment behaviors revealed the moderating impact of the latter. Although it cannot be concluded that nonmaternal care has no impact on children, most of the analyses suggest that in and of itself, or in interaction with one factor at a time, nonmaternal care does not affect child development.     

‘It’s bit of an eye opener’ – A qualitative study of women’s attitudes towards tanning,sun protection and a facial morphing intervention

Objective: Skin cancer is to a large degree behaviourally preventable, meaning that evidence-based interventions have scope to make a difference. Previous research indicates that appearance-based interventions such as facial morphing may be more effective than health-based interventions, and that it can personalise the issue of skin cancer.

Method: This study examined attitudes to UV exposure, as well as reactions to a facial morphing intervention, through interviews with 25 women aged 35 years and older.

Results: Thematic analysis revealed four themes; two regarding attitudes to UV exposure (confusion and contradiction, and change and continuity), and two relating to the facial morphing intervention (negative reactions to UV-exposed photo and positive outcomes of the intervention). Women experienced a number of barriers to adopting safer behaviour in the sun; their current attitudes to UV exposure had been shaped by available information sources throughout their ageing. They expressed negative evaluations of the UV photo, which fed directly into motivation to reduce UV exposure.

Conclusions: These results can be interpreted along the lines of goal-directed behaviour. This type of intervention has the potential to reduce UV exposure among this participant group, something that needs to be further investigated with randomised control trials.     

Pregnant Genetic Counselors in an Era of Advanced Genomic Tests: What Do the Experts Test Prenatally?

Advanced genomic tests in pregnancy, such as chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA), provide higher detection rates yet often produce probabilistic and uncertain information. This study aimed to understand how the most knowledgeable patients, i.e., pregnant genetic counselors, act in their own pregnancies, thereby gaining insight into the impact of patients’ knowledge on the diagnostic process. Seventeen interviews were conducted with Israeli genetic counselors, either pregnant or up to 2 years post-pregnancy. A third of the participants chose not to have CMA while two thirds underwent it despite no detected abnormalities. Although knowledge was the main motivation, counselors varied in the desired degree of information. Two thirds of those opting for CMA wished to have all findings identified whereas roughly one third asked for a targeted platform seeking to avoid uncertain results. Counselors were not quick to adopt new tests such as whole-exome sequencing. Being knowledgeable was described as promoting a sense of control yet also being a source of stress and moral dilemmas. While the basic premise of informed consent is crucial, it does not always make things easier for educated patients. Consequently, raising levels of patient knowledge is only a limited step forward in the search for best practice.     

Attachment patterns moderate the relation between coping flexibility and illness acceptance among kidney transplant recipients

Background and Objectives: Post-transplant kidney recipients may experience psychological concerns which have been associated with negative health behaviors. Illness acceptance might have an important role in this process. In line with the Conservation of Resources Theory (COR), the current study aimed to examine the relationship between coping flexibility, attachment patterns and illness acceptance among post-transplant kidney recipients, and to evaluate whether attachment patterns moderate the link between coping flexibility and illness acceptance.

Design: The study employed a cross-sectional design.

Methods: Ninety-four post-transplant kidney recipients completed questionnaires assessing demographic and medical characteristics, illness acceptance, coping flexibility and attachment patterns.

Results: Our results indicated that coping flexibility was positively associated with illness acceptance. Moreover, attachment moderated this link, as high coping flexibility was associated with increased illness acceptance among individuals with low levels of attachment anxiety, a finding which was not significant when high levels of anxiety were reported.

Conclusions: This study highlights the potential importance of building greater flexibility in order to enhance illness acceptance among kidney transplants recipients. Moreover, the role of insecure attachment patterns in health-related outcomes among kidney transplants recipients is emphasized.     

Predicting ADHD Symptoms in Adolescence from Early Childhood Temperament Traits

Extreme levels of certain temperament traits can be early markers of different developmental pathways of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the long-term utility of using these traits as predictors of ADHD is not fully known. This study includes 64 male adolescents (M age = 13.5), who have been followed since birth as part of a longitudinal study. The primary aim was to test effortful control (EC), activity level, and anger, measured in early childhood – both with mother’s reports and laboratory assessments –as predictors of ADHD symptoms in adolescence. Further, we investigated the specificity of this prediction to the different ADHD symptom domains. The results demonstrated that early temperament dimensions of EC and activity level were predictive of ADHD symptoms about 10 years later, when the participants reached adolescence. Moreover, activity level showed specificity only to hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms whereas EC was a predictor of the two symptom domains. Anger had a predictive correlation with ADHD symptoms; however, it did not have a unique predictive contribution. These results emphasize the relevance of EC and activity level in the developmental course of ADHD. Identification of early risk factors can lead to more efficient design and implementation of intervention programs.