Adolescent decision-making: Giving weight to age-specific values

Adults who give proxy consent for medical treatment for adolescents must decide how much weight to give to adolescents' own preferences. There is evidence that some adolescents choose treatments different from what adults see as most reasonable. It is argued that adolescents choose according to age-specific values, i.e. values they hold, as adolescents, and which fulfil important developmental needs. Because not fulfilling these needs may do serious psychological damage, it is urged that proxies give weight to these values, up to the limit where it would endanger or profoundly limit future life.A very brief version of this article has been published as Chapter 3 of Forman EN, Ladd RE.Ethical Dilemmas in Pediatrics: A Case Study Approach. New York: Springer-Verlag. 1991, reprinted by University Press of America, 1995.     

Gender and projective imagination of threat in achievement and affiliation situations

In a study by Pollak and Gilligan (1982) where fantasies of violence were seen as indicative of perception of danger, women responded with more violent imagery to situations of achievement, whereas men responded with more violent imagery to affiliation situations. This indicates gender differences in motivational needs, which corresponds to modern gender development theories (e.g., Chodorow, 1978). In the present studies, the hypotheses that women fear achievement situations whereas men fear situations of affiliation were tested on Swedish samples totaling 44 men and 47 women. In Study 1, the hypothesis that violent imagery correlates with affiliation themes in the stories written by men was partly supported, whereas the hypothesis that violent imagery would be highly correlated with achievement themes in the stories written by women was not confirmed. In Study 2, no support was obtained for the hypotheses. In sum, contrary to previous studies, no substantial support was obtained for the hypothesis that women connect violent imagery with achievement situations, whereas some evidence was found for the hypothesis that men construe danger as arising from affiliation situations. The greater incidence of violence in men’s fantasy reported in previous studies was not supported in either of the two studies. The results are discussed in the context of cross-cultural differences.     

Factors of acceptability,acceptance and usage for non-rail autonomous public transport vehicles: A systematic literature review

Non-rail autonomous public transport vehicles have emerged over the last few years. Technical progress in automation has resulted in a growing number of autonomous shuttle pilot experiments. Although these systems are technologically feasible, determining the extent to which they correspond to users’ needs and expectations remains a major issue. In order to answer that question, we conducted a systematic review which synthesizes the literature regarding the acceptability and willingness to use this type of autonomous public transport. This literature review allowed us to identify 39 documents addressing 70 factors of acceptability, acceptance and usage of non-rail autonomous public transport vehicles. The most cited factors in the literature concern service characteristics (times, schedules, fares) and safety issues (road-safety, on-board security). Factors related to automation level, comfort and access to the vehicle feature appear to a lesser extent. Acceptance is also related to personal factors, such as socio-demographics, travel habits, and personality. This review could be of interest to designers and manufacturers of non-rail autonomous public transport vehicles, as well as policy makers, and assist with the successful implementation of autonomous public transport services which are better adapted and meet the needs of all potential users.     

Validation of a revised version of the Physical Self-Inventory – Very Short form for youth with intellectual disabilities (PSI-VS-ID-R): A Bayesian structural equation modeling approach

The objective of the current study was to investigate the psychometric properties of scores obtained on a revised version of the Physical Self-Inventory – Very Short form for youth with intellectual disabilities (PSI-VS-ID-R). A sample of 351 youth (M = 15.81 years) with mild to moderate levels of Intellectual Disabilities (ID) from Australia (N = 230) and Canada (N = 121) participated in this study. They respectively completed the English and French versions of the PSI-VS-ID-R, as well as additional measures of self-concept and physical fitness. Bayes structural equation modeling (BSEM) analyses provided support for the validity and reliability of the a priori nine-factor structure of scores obtained on the PSI-VS-ID-R. Moreover, additional BSEM analyses provided support for the comparability of responses obtained on the PSI-VS-ID-R (i.e., lack of differential item functioning or measurement equivalence) irrespective of linguistic versions and of participants’ age, body-mass index, ID level, sex and frequency of sport involvement. Additionally, latent mean level differences in PSI-VS-ID-R’s factors scores were also found across linguistic versions and as a function of youth’s ID level and frequency of sport involvement. Finally, the convergent validity of scores on the PSI-VS-ID-R factors was supported in relation to measures of self-concept and physical fitness.     

Modern Settlements in Special Needs Education: Segregated Versus Inclusive Education

In the history of special needs education, the distinction between human nature and its social environment has been a controversial matter. The controversy regards whether special needs are primarily caused by the child's psycho-medical body or by cultural concepts of normality and deviance. Settlements of this controversy govern whether the pupil or the educational institution becomes the main point of intervention. In Denmark, the particularities of settlements can be identified by juxtaposing the introduction of intelligence testing in the 1930s with the contemporary policy agenda of inclusion. With intelligence testing, special needs education was to service children whose needs were seen as part of their human nature. Inclusion, in turn, assumes special needs to be stigmatizing cultural labels that need to be abandoned by changing school cultures. Drawing on actor-network theory we can approach such settlements as a product of a modern division between human nature and social environment. Although both these settlements depend on a distinction between human nature and social environment, this distinction generates practical tensions for each settlement.     

Investigating discrepancies in program quality related to youth volleyball athletes’ needs support

Program quality has been outlined as an important predictor of positive outcomes in youth development programs; however, little evidence exists to support this, particularly within sport. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between researcher- and coach-assessed program quality scores as they relate to youth volleyball athletes’ basic needs support. Design: Observational data and self-report data were gathered from coaches and youth. Researchers completed 84 observations using a measure of program quality across 14 teams. Coaches completed the same measure at the end of the season and 138 athletes (M_age = 14.50) from the 14 teams completed a self-report questionnaire pertaining to needs support. Data were analyzed using polynomial regressions with response surface methodology. Results: Athletes’ needs support was significantly (p < 0.001) associated with all domains of researcher- and coach-assessed program quality (i.e., safe environment, supportive environment, interaction, engagement), and between 20 and 35% of the variance in athletes’ needs support was explained by these variables. The degree of discrepancy between researcher- and coach-assessed program quality increased when progressing through three domains of program quality (safe environment, supportive environment, engagement). Response surface methods indicated that as the degree of agreement increased between researchers’ and coaches’ ratings of the safety of the environment, supportiveness of the environment, and opportunities for engagement, so did athletes’ basic needs support scores in a linear fashion. Conclusions: Practical implications surrounding coach education and the importance of knowledge translation between academics and practitioners are noted, and future research directions are discussed.     

Development and validation of the coach's task presentation scale: A quantitative self-report instrument

ObjectiveA major concern for coaches is the transmission of effective information in the moments before sport practice, when they communicate to players what they are supposed to do and how (Rink, 1994). The present study's main objective was to cover a gap in the sport psychology measurement field and to develop and validate a quantitative self-report instrument to measure the effectiveness of coaches' task presentation for athletes. The resulting instrument was the Escala de Presentación de las Tareas por Parte del Entrenador (EPTE) [Coach's Task Presentation Scale].DesignThe two studies developed to validate the EPTE used a cross-sectional research design.MethodParticipants in Study 1 included 830 college athletes aged between 18 and 27, who completed the EPTE. Participants in Study 2 included 677 college athletes aged between 17 and 29, who completed the EPTE and other questionnaires measuring coach's interpersonal style (autonomy support and controlling style) and basic psychological needs satisfaction/thwarting. Study 1 comprised translation, item formulation and examination of the reliability and factorial structure of the EPTE. Study 2 provided evidence of factorial validity and evidence of validity based on relationships with other variables in the context of the Self Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000).ResultsThe results of reliability analysis and the different sources of validity provided, demonstrated the instrument's adequacy in terms of psychometric properties.ConclusionsThe EPTE is a valid, reliable scale that can be used to measure the effectiveness of task presentation by coaches, according to the perception of athletes.     

Effectiveness investigation of travel demand management measures in Beijing: Existing measures and a potential measure–tradable driving credit

Facing serious challenges of traffic congestion and air pollution, Beijing has implemented a series of traffic polices. In this paper, we first investigate the effectiveness of existing traffic measures in Beijing and analyse the underlying factors from the perspective of drivers, which provide insights for the traffic regulations in other cities worldwide. While the car ownership restriction has effectively limited the total number of vehicle in Beijing, the effect of the car use restriction only lasts for a short period. A survey on drivers’ opinions and attitudes towards the traffic situation and a potential measure, i.e., tradable driving credit (TDC), is conducted. Although traffic data shows that congestion improved and traffic was slightly congested in recent years in Beijing, most respondents believe congestion is still serious in Beijing. However, they think the impact of traffic congestion on their personal car use is relatively low, which could partly explain why so many travellers still depend on driving given the relative convenient transit facilities in Beijing. In addition, a large proportion of respondents treat personal cars as a representation of social status and think driving bring them pleasures, which indicates that it may be hard to further decrease the share of car trips in Beijing. According to their attitudes and social-economical characters, respondents’ willingness on their changes of travel behaviours under TDC is investigated. The results show that individuals’ social-economic characters such as income level, education and family size and the symbolic meaning of personal cars have significant influence on respondents’ willingness to switch to other transport modes.     

Mobility as a service and sustainable travel behaviour: A thematic analysis study

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a novel brand of transport that promises to replace private cars with multimodal personalised mobility packages enabled by a digital platform capable of integrating travel planning, booking and ticketing, and real-time information services. It is an intervention that through its digitisation, connectivity, information and sharing merits intends to inspire and support the transition to a more sustainable mobility paradigm. Recent research suggests, however, that the potential uptake of MaaS might not be overwhelming; current car drivers could face considerable difficulties in bypassing their personal car for it and, more worryingly, future MaaS users may substitute not only personal car trips but also public transport journeys with car-sharing and ride-sharing services. This means that MaaS might not be able to create travel behaviour change, and even if it does, the changes may not be always towards the right direction. Through conducting 40 semi-structured interviews in three different UK cities, namely London, Birmingham and Huddersfield, and employing a robust Thematic Analysis approach, this study explores the factors underpinning the uptake and potential success of MaaS as a sustainable travel mechanism. The challenges and opportunities reflecting and affecting potential for responsible MaaS usage refer to five core themes Car Dependence; Trust; Human Element Externalities; Value; and Cost, each of them with distinctive and diverse dimensions. Policy-makers and mobility providers should realise that MaaS success relies on changing people’s attitudes to private cars (something very challenging) and thus they should incentivise responsible MaaS use, promote public transport as its backbone, use public engagement exercises and trials to expose people to the concept and somewhat demonise private car ownership and car use.     

Cancer Genetic Counseling: Communication and Counselees’ Post-Visit Satisfaction,Cognitions, Anxiety,and Needs Fulfillment

Little is known about the relation between communication during cancer genetic counseling and outcome. We assessed associations between counselor-counselee communication and counselee satisfaction, cognitions, anxiety, and fulfillment of major needs, corrected for pre-visit levels as appropriate. In total 171 consecutive new counselees, mainly referred for breast or colon cancer, received pre- and post-visit questionnaires assessing needs/fulfillment, knowledge, perceived control (PPC), anxiety (STAI), and satisfaction. Initial visits were videotaped and counselor eye gaze was recorded. Verbal communication was rated by Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS). Asking more medical questions was associated with lower satisfaction levels. Receiving more medical information was related to higher correct knowledge scores, higher reported fulfillment of some needs, and unrelated to perceptions of control. Receiving more psychosocial information and longer counselor eye gaze were related to higher anxiety scores. Longer visits were related to higher correct knowledge scores. Providing medical information appears the most powerful communication aspect to increase counselee satisfaction and address needs. More research is needed on how to address adequately (emotional) needs and increase feelings of control.