Exercise schema and motivational regulation of college students: A person-centered analysis

To further understand the complex psychological processes involved with motivating health behavior, we sought to examine how one's exercise schema may align with self-determined exercise motivation regulations. Few studies have examined patterns of motivation regulations that may be associated with exercise schema in order to better identify unique motivation-based profiles. We conducted a latent profile analysis on responses from 427 college-aged adults to an exercise self-schema measure (schema identification and schema strength) and five exercise regulation subscales (external, introjected, identified, integrated, intrinsic). A three-class latent profile model fit this data best considering both the fit indices and theoretical implications and confirmed previous research grouping individuals into pre-exerciser schematics, aschematics, and exerciser schematics. However, the model also captured individuals that would have been unclassifiable in the original scoring analysis. Future research may examine the stability of these profiles and methods to better understand schema-regulation profiles and exercise behavior.     

How are social-emotional and behavioral competences and problems at age 1 year associated with infant motor development? A general population study

Based on limitations in previous research evidence, we concluded that more research is needed for deeper understanding of how social-emotional and behavioral (SEB) outcomes among infant-toddler-aged children in the general population are associated with early motor development. In this study, we investigated associations between early competencies and problems, as measured by the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA), and the timing of achievement of the main gross and fine motor milestones usually attained during the first year of life in a general population context. The study sample consisted of 515 infants (mean age 12.9 [SD 0.9] months) and their parents (514 mothers, 434 fathers), who were recruited in child health centers in Northern Finland. The infants were divided into two groups, based on their BITSEA screen status, and motor milestone achievement ages were compared across BITSEA screen status No Concern and Of-Concern infants. An Of-Concern screen status on the maternal and paternal Competence scale and Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) item cluster was associated with later infant achievement ages for gross motor milestones. By contrast, infants who were screened to be in the Of-Concern range on the maternal Problem scale achieved gross motor milestones earlier than infants with the corresponding No Concern screen status. No significant associations were found between the paternal Problem scale screen status and infant motor development. In further analyses, the strongest associations were found between an Of-Concern screen status on the paternal Competence scale and ASD item cluster and infant motor development. The findings indicate that the inclusion of infant motor developmental information may assist early identification and the clinical interpretation of parental reports of early SEB problems. Clinical implications of the current findings are discussed in the paper.     

Exploring predictors of change in behavioral problems over a 1-year period in preterm born preschoolers

ObjectiveAlthough predictors of the prevalence of behavioral problems in preterm-born children have been frequently studied, predictors of behavioral change in these children remain unknown. Therefore, in this study we explore predictors of short-term changes in problem behavior in preterm-born preschoolers, an age period characterized by rapid behavioral change.MethodTwo- to 5-year-old children born with a gestational age <32 weeks and/or birth weight <1500 g were eligible, because of their high risk for behavioral problems. Following screening, 59 children with a t-score ≥60 on either the internal, external or total problem scale of the Child Behavior Checklist were included in the study. Linear mixed modeling was used to investigate predictors of change in behavior over a 1-year period.ResultsHigher levels of parenting stress, parent perceived child vulnerability, and parental hostility towards the child and lower educational levels of the mother significantly predicted increases in externalizing behavior. The higher the age of the child, the more internalizing problems decreased.ConclusionsParenting stress, parent perceived child vulnerability and parental hostility towards the child were the only modifiable predictors of increases in externalizing behavior, whilst no modifiable predictors of internalizing behavior were found. There may be a reciprocal interaction between stress in parents and child externalizing problems. Furthermore, stress and worries may directly influence parents’ reports on behavioral measures, because it could cause them to be concerned by behavior otherwise perceived as normal. Therefore, future interventions for parents of preterm-born children should primarily address parental stress and concerns regarding their child.     

A data–information–knowledge cycle for modeling driving behavior

When talking about automation, “autonomous vehicles”, often abbreviated as AVs, come to mind. In transitioning from the “driver” mode to the different automation levels, there is an inevitable need for modeling driving behavior. This often happens through data collection from experiments and studies, but also information extraction, a key step in behavioral modeling. Particularly, naturalistic driving studies and field operational trials are used to collect meaningful data on drivers’ interactions in real–world conditions. On the other hand, information extraction methods allow to predict or mimic driving behavior, by using a set of statistical learning methods. In simple words, the way to understand drivers’ needs and wants in the era of automation can be represented in a data–information cycle, starting from data collection, and ending with information extraction. To develop this cycle, this research reviews studies with keywords “data collection”, “information extraction”, “AVs”, while keeping the focus on driving behavior. The resulting review led to a screening of about 161 papers, out of which about 30 were selected for a detailed analysis. The analysis included an investigation of the methods and equipment used for data collection, the features collected, the size and frequency of the data along with the main problems associated with the different sensory equipment; the studies also looked at the models used to extract information, including various statistical techniques used in AV studies. This paved the way to the development of a framework for data analytics and fusion, allowing the use of highly heterogeneous data to reach the defined objectives; for this paper, the example of impacts of AVs on a network level and AV acceptance is given. The authors suggest that such a framework could be extended and transferred across the various transportation sectors.     

Exploring behavioral validity of driving simulator under time pressure driving conditions of professional drivers

Driving simulators have become an important tool in human factors research, given that they are appropriately validated. Therefore, this study aims to explore the behavioral (absolute and relative) validity of a fixed-base driving simulator by analyzing different driving behavior measures such as speed, longitudinal acceleration, lateral acceleration, and brake pedal force. Thirty professional drivers participated in the experiment and the data was collected in real and simulated worlds under No Time Pressure (NTP) and Time Pressure (TP) driving conditions. Initially, comparative analyses were conducted on different driving behavior measures using Wilcoxon-signed rank test to examine absolute validity of the driving simulator. Finally, Generalized Linear Mixed (GLM) models were developed for computing the effective distance between real and simulated worlds by quantifying the parameters and for establishing relative validity. In general, the continuous profiles of driving behavior measures followed similar trends in real and simulated worlds and comparative analyses indicated relative validity of the driving simulator. The GLM models showed significant interaction effect of driving environments (real-world and simulated world) and driving conditions (NTP and TP) where high driving speed, high brake pedal force, and low lateral acceleration were observed in simulated world under TP driving condition than real-world under TP driving condition. Overall, the statistical analyses showed qualitative correspondence (relative validity) of the driving behavior measures in between real and simulated worlds. The findings from the current study showed expediency of the driving simulator and its effectiveness in conducting research on human factors and driver safety.     

How do the recognizability and driving styles of automated vehicles affect human drivers’ gap acceptance at T- Intersections?

Future traffic will be composed of both human-driven vehicles (HDVs) and automated vehicles (AVs). To accurately predict the performance of mixed traffic, an important aspect is describing HDV behavior when interacting with AVs. A few exploratory studies show that HDVs change their behavior when interacting with AVs, being influenced by factors such as recognizability and driving style of AVs. Unsignalized priority intersections can significantly affect traffic flow efficiency and safety of the road network. To understand HDV behavior in mixed traffic at unsignalized priority T-intersections, a driving simulator experiment was set up in which 95 drivers took part in it. The route in the driving simulator included three T-intersections where the drivers had to give priority to traffic on the major road. The participants drove different scenarios which varied in whether the AVs were recognizable or not, and in their driving style (Aggressive or Defensive). The results showed that in mixed traffic having recognizable aggressive AVs, drivers accepted significantly larger gaps (and had larger critical gaps) when merging in front of AVs as compared to mixed traffic having either recognizable defensive AVs or recognizable mixed AVs (composed of both aggressive and defensive). This was not the case when merging in front of an HDV in the same scenarios. Drivers had significantly smaller critical gaps when driving in traffic having non-recognizable aggressive AVs compared to non-recognizable defensive AVs. The findings suggest that human drivers change their gap acceptance behavior in mixed traffic depending on the combined effect of recognizability and driving style of AVs, including accepting shorter gaps in front of non-recognizable aggressive AVs and changing their original driving behavior. This could have implications for traffic efficiency and safety at such priority intersections. Decision makers must carefully consider such behavioral adaptations before implementing any policy changes related to AVs and the infrastructure.     

The Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-4): Psychometric evidence of introjected approach regulation in Portuguese health club exercisers

The assessment of motivation has been a key aspect to the understanding of exercise participation, and research grounded in self-determination theory has presented valid and reliable instruments for that purpose. Given the need to continually refine this latent construct, the present study aimed to translate, adapt, and psychometrically validate a subscale targeting the approach facet of introjection, and to test the pattern of associations between motives for practice, basic psychological needs satisfaction/frustration, and behavioral regulations encompassing the validated introjection subscale, in a sample of health club exercisers.For that purpose, two studies were developed with a total of 1216 health club exercisers. In Study I (n = 806), Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling analysis to test the motivational continuum encompassing the introjected approach subscale were performed. In Study II (n = 410) associations and structural models between intrinsic and extrinsic goal contents, basic psychological needs satisfaction and frustration, and behavioral regulations with the new subscale were tested.The correlated seven-factor model with 21 items in Study I displayed good psychometric properties (CFA: χ² = 481.977 (168), p < .001, CFI = 0.936, TLI = 0.915, SRMR = 0.037, RMSEA = 0.048; ESEM: χ² = 178.672 (84), p < .001, CFI = 0.980, TLI = 0.949, SRMR = 0.014, RMSEA = 0.037). The introjected approach regulation added to the preexisting factorial structure did not affect the validity and reliability of the instrument. The results from Study II supported a theoretically expected pattern of associations, in which the introjected regulation of approach is positioned between introjected avoidance and identified regulation along the motivational continuum. Additionally, path estimates depicted criterion validity for the new subscale. All in all, this work presents preliminary evidence for an introjected approach regulation subscale that can be used in health club practices for a better understanding of the motivational quality of exercise practice.     

Belief in a just world and social dominance orientation: Evidence for a mediational pathway predicting negative attitudes and discrimination against individuals with mental illness

Prejudice against individuals with mental illness stems from multiple factors, including the personality traits of those harboring the prejudiced attitudes. However, little is known about the personality processes (as opposed to static correlates) leading to negative attitudes and discrimination toward individuals with mental illness. The present research tested a mediational model in which negative attitudes against such people and resulting intentions to discriminate are distally rooted in just-world beliefs, which predispose people toward higher social dominance orientation, a well-known proximal personality predictor of general prejudice. Participants completed measures of behavioral intentions, attitudes toward individuals with mental illness, social dominance orientation, and belief in a just world. The proposed mediational model was supported, and an alternative causal model was not. These results illuminate the personality-process antecedents of attitudes toward individuals with mental illness and provide a foundation for research targeting interventions intended to reduce prejudice and discrimination against this population.     

Policy bundling to overcome loss aversion: A method for improving legislative outcomes

Policies that would create net benefits for society that contain salient costs frequently lack enough support for enactment because losses loom larger than gains. To address this consequence of loss aversion, we propose a policy-bundling technique in which related bills involving both losses and gains are combined to offset separate bills’ costs while preserving their net benefits. We argue this method can transform unpopular individual pieces of legislation, which would lack the support for implementation, into more popular policies. Study 1 confirms that bundling increases support for bills with costs and benefits and that bundled legislation is valued more than the sum of its parts. Study 2 shows this finding stems from a diminished focus on losses and heightened focus on gains. Study 3 extends our findings to policies involving costs and benefits of the same type (e.g., lives) generated by different sources (e.g., food vs. fire safety).