Exploring New and Renewed Eco‐Spiritualities

This essay discusses five recent books, written in French, that contribute to refection in environmental ethics. Francophone literature on the topic is marked by resonant and divergent concerns, and rooted in a geography, politics, and history different from North America and marked by distinctive lines of intellectual influence. Jean‐Claude Eslin proposes recovering ecological resources from the Christian tradition and also suggests imagining new images of God: notably, God as pilote rather than artisan. Dominique Bourg takes a multi‐disciplinary approach that emphasizes the spiritual conditions for relating to the world ecologically and economically; he argues for sobriété (austerity) as a spiritual disposition and an economic model. Baptiste Morizot develops diplomacy as an ethical, political, and spiritual model for cohabiting with wolves, whose return to the French countryside has been highly controversial. Nastassja Martin offers an anthropological study of the indigenous Gwich’in community of Fort Yukon, Alaska that accentuates the mix of Protestant missional influences and Gwich’in spiritual affirmations and practices at play in their relationship to the nonhuman world. Attending to this literature may helpfully decenter anglophone debates and enrich their conceptual vocabulary.     

Associations between young adult romantic relationship quality and problem behaviors: An examination of personality–environment interactions

This longitudinal study examined person–environment interplay by testing interaction effects between adolescent personality type (i.e., overcontrollers, undercontrollers, and resilients) and young adult romantic relationship quality on young adult delinquency and anxiety. The study employed six waves of longitudinal questionnaire data collected across 10 years from Dutch youths. Results showed that support from romantic partner was related to a relatively stronger decrease in anxiety in young adulthood for overcontrollers than for resilients. Moreover, higher negative interaction with romantic partner was related to a relative increase in delinquent behaviors for undercontrollers, while no such links emerged for overcontrollers and resilients. This study highlights the importance of considering the interplay between personality characteristics and environmental–relational factors when examining young adults’ developmental outcomes.     

Equal prioritisation does not yield lower levels of participation in physical activities than higher prioritisation

ObjectivesThis study examined whether individuals who assigned equal priority to physical activity and an alternative activity exhibited lower levels of participation in physical activities than individuals who assigned higher priority to physical activity than an alternative activity. In addition, we examined whether a measure of prioritisation derived from an algebraic difference index provided a rigorous test of prioritisation effects.DesignWe employed a two-wave prospective design that aimed to predict physical activity participation.MethodPrioritisation, intentions and perceptions of control were measured at the first wave of data collection. After five weeks, we administered follow-up measures of behavioural conflict and physical activity participation.ResultsA hierarchical regression analysis showed that although the algebraic difference index was positively associated with measures of physical activity participation, equal prioritisation did not yield lower levels of physical activity participation than high prioritisation.ConclusionsFindings suggest that equal prioritisation is not a less optimal self-regulatory strategy than high prioritisation in the domain of physical activity. Regression coefficients associated with algebraic difference indexes should be interpreted with caution and consider analyses that examine effects of component measures of prioritisation on physical activity participation.     

Window view of nature after brief exercise improves choice reaction time and heart rate restoration

Research indicates that natural environments induce restorative effects on cognitive capacity and autonomic arousal. The present study investigates differences in choice reaction time (CRT) and heart rate responses in students (n = 9) resting with or without a window view of a modest natural environment after a physical exertion. Subjects performed a CRT-task before pedaling a spinning bike, followed by resting in a chair with either a window view of a natural environment, or no view. Heart rate was obtained during the rest-period, and the CRT task was performed again immediately after resting.Results indicated that subjects elicited significantly larger improvement in CRTs and more efficient heart rate restoration after resting with a window view, compared to resting without a view. Resting with a modest view of a natural environment after brief exercise demonstrated both a greater effect of cognitive enhancement and more efficient physiological restoration compared to resting without a view. These findings advance prior research by demonstrating both cognitive and physiological benefits from resting in a modest natural environment.     

COMT gene polymorphisms,cognitive performance,and physical fitness in older adults

ObjectiveIt is well known that genetic predispositions might influence cognitive performance, particularly in older adults. One gene related to executive functioning is the COMT gene with met/met carriers outperforming val/val carriers in cognitive tasks. Further, it has been shown that fitness is positively related to cognitive functioning in older adults. As both, the COMT genotype and physical exercise have been shown to influence dopamine availability and as changes in dopamine metabolism seem to play a key role in cognitive aging, the aim of this study was to analyze the association of the COMT gene polymorphisms with the relationship between fitness and cognition.DesignWe used a cross-sectional design.MethodSixty-eight healthy older adults between 62 and 79 years of age were analyzed in this study. DNA was extracted from capillary blood samples. Participants performed a modified version of the Flanker Task as an indicator of executive control and a battery of motor and physical tests as indicators of fitness.ResultsHierarchical regression analyses revealed a positive influence of overall fitness and an interactive effect of fitness and COMT polymorphisms on Flanker accuracy performance. Val/val carriers revealed the highest positive correlation between fitness and cognition.ConclusionsOur data suggest that particularly val/val allele carriers benefit from exercise by improved cognitive functioning whereas met/met carriers already perform closer at their optimum level.     

A Philosophy of Physical Education Oriented toward the Game as an Object. Showing the Inexhaustible Reality of Games through Bernard Suits’ Theory

ABSTRACT

Although a large number of theories justify the presence of games in school, all of them converge in two of the educational functions described by Biesta, socialization and qualification. In contrast to this instrumental educational approach, the present article aims to develop the bases for a philosophy of physical education (PE) oriented toward the game as an object. This proposal is supported by Suits’ theory of games and the object-oriented philosophy (OOP) introduced by Harman. The text presents a justification for games in the school setting by defending its intrinsic value. First, the instrumentalist justifications for games are presented in order to establish the state of the art. Second, an explanation is provided about the degree to which the object-oriented philosophy can complement these justifications. Third, the article explains why Suits’ theory of games establishes the conceptual bases for developing what we could call a philosophy of PE oriented toward the game as an object. Finally, an example is provided of how this philosophy can guide the PE practice.     

The impact of the home musical environment on infants’ language development

There is strong evidence that musical engagement influences children’s language development but little research has been carried out on the relationship between the home musical environment and language development in infancy. The current study assessed musical exposure at home (including parental singing) and language development in 64 infants (8.5–18 months). Results showed that the home musical environment significantly predicted gesture development. For a subgroup of infants’ below 12 months, both parental singing and overall home musical environment score significantly predicted word comprehension. These findings represent the first demonstration that an enriched musical environment in infancy can promote development of communication skills.     

Feasibility and acceptability of an exergame intervention for schizophrenia

ObjectivesTo evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of an exergame intervention as a tool to promote physical activity in outpatients with schizophrenia.DesignFeasibility/Acceptability Study and Quasi-Experimental Trial.MethodSixteen outpatients with schizophrenia received treatment as usual and they all completed an 8-week exergame intervention using Microsoft Kinect^® (20 min sessions, biweekly). Participants completed pre and post treatment assessments regarding functional mobility (Timed Up and Go Test), functional fitness performance (Senior Fitness Test), motor neurological soft signs (Brief Motor Scale), hand grip strength (digital dynamometer), static balance (force plate), speed of processing (Trail Making Test), schizophrenia-related symptoms (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) and functioning (Personal and Social Performance Scale). The EG group completed an acceptability questionnaire after the intervention.ResultsAttrition rate was 18.75% and 69.23% of the participants completed the intervention within the proposed schedule. Baseline clinical traits were not related to game performance indicators. Over 90% of the participants rated the intervention as satisfactory and interactive. Most participants (76.9%) agreed that this intervention promotes healthier lifestyles and is an acceptable alternative to perform physical activity. Repeated-measures MANOVA analyses found no significant multivariate effects for combined outcomes.ConclusionThis study established the feasibility and acceptability of an exergame intervention for outpatients with schizophrenia. The intervention proved to be an appealing alternative to physical activity. Future trials should include larger sample sizes, explore patients' adherence to home-based exergames and consider greater intervention dosage (length, session duration, and/or frequency) in order to achieve potential effects.