Intention inertia and the plasticity of planning

In this article, I examine Michael Bratman’s account of stability in his planning theory of intention (PTI). Future-directed intentions should be stable, or appropriately resistant to change, over time. Bratman claims that the norm of stability governs both intentions and plans. The aim of this article is to critically enrich Bratman’s account of stability by introducing plasticity as an additional norm of planning. I construct plasticity as a kind of stability of intentions which supplements Bratman’s notion of “reasonable stability.” Unlike the latter, plasticity applies mainly to cases in which plan states are abandoned without reconsideration. I focus on the intra-theoretical problems of PTI and elucidate: (1) the distinction between future-directed intentions and plans, (2) the conceptual difference between stability and inertia, which is only implicit in PTI, and (3) the role of the environment of the planner, which has a vestigial role in Bratman’s work. I also defend my incorporation of plasticity against one possible objection and support it in the context of Bratman’s later works. Although critical, my proposal is in moderate harmony with PTI.     

A Longitudinal Study of Predictors of Housing Stability,Housing Quality,and Mental Health Functioning Among Single Homeless Individuals Staying in Emergency Shelters

The current study examined risk and resilience factors at multiple levels that affect homeless individuals' ability to exit homelessness and achieve housing stability. It also examined the relationship between housing status, housing quality and mental health functioning. The methodology is a longitudinal study of single homeless individuals staying in emergency shelters in a medium‐sized Canadian city who were followed for a 2 year period. Data were collected from participants at a baseline interview when they were homeless and at a 2‐year follow‐up. There were 329 participants interviewed at baseline and 197 (59.9%) participants interviewed at follow‐up. Results from a structural equation modelling analysis found that having interpersonal and community resources were predictive of achieving housing stability. Specifically, having a larger social support network, access to subsidized housing, and greater income was related to achieving housing stability. On the other hand, having a substance use problem was a risk factor associated with a failure to achieving housing stability. Being female, feeling personally empowered, having housing that is perceived of being of higher quality were directly predictive of mental health functioning at follow‐up. Findings are discussed in the context of previous research and their policy implications.     

Slip and Trip Perturbations During an Object Transport Task Requiring a Lateral Change in Support

The ability to counteract destabilizing external forces while simultaneously executing a complex task presents a novel way to ascertain one's ability to generate adaptive postural control responses to avoid a potential fall. In this study, participants performed an upper limb object transport task requiring a lateral change in support on a robotic platform that could remain fixed in space or translated (mimicking a slip or trip perturbation). No significant stability differences were observed at initial recovery step between slip and trip perturbations. Variability measures were greatest during the trip perturbations; though stability was at its greatest level preceding these perturbations. These results will aid in the design of future studies that will investigate adaptive postural control responses generated by older adults when executing similar, ongoing complex upper body tasks interrupted by a destabilizing support surface perturbation.     

A review and analysis of research on the test–retest reliability of professional judgment

This paper analyzes existing research on the test–retest reliability of human judgment, i.e. the extent to which a judge makes identical judgments when presented with identical stimuli on two occasions. Only research involving professional judges who make experimental judgments in a reasonable analog of their everyday experience is included. Studies of both internal consistency reliability and temporal stability reliability are analyzed (where the former refers to the inclusion of repeat stimuli in the same experimental session, and the latter refers to the repeating of the experimental task from a few days to several months later). It is found that (1) the test–retest reliability literature is concentrated in four substantive judgment areas (medicine/psychology, meteorology, human resources management, and business), (2) the literature is extremely variable in terms of research approach/design, the determinants or correlates of test–retest reliability that have been studied, and the quality of the execution and analysis, and (3) mean test–retest reliability differs across both substantive judgment areas and the internal consistency versus temporal stability distinction. An inescapable conclusion from the analysis is that our knowledge of this fundamental property of human judgment is quite meager. Therefore, the paper concludes with suggestions about future research that would address test–retest reliability more systematically. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Construct Validity of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale: Multisample and Longitudinal Evidence

This study investigated the factor structure and factorial group and time invariance of the 17-item and 9-item versions of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES; Schaufeli et al. (2002b) Journal of Happiness Studies 3:71–92). Furthermore, the study explored the rank-order stability of work engagement. The data were drawn from five different studies (N = 9,404), including a three-year longitudinal study (n = 2,555), utilizing five divergent occupational samples. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesized correlated three-factor structure—vigor, dedication, absorption—of both UWES scales. However, while the structure of the UWES-17 did not remain the same across the samples and time, the structure of the UWES-9 remained relatively unchanged. Thus, the UWES-9 has good construct validity and use of the 9-item version can be recommended in future research. Moreover, as hypothesized, Structural Equation Modeling showed high rank-order stabilities for the work engagement factors (between 0.82 and 0.86). Accordingly, work engagement seems to be a highly stable indicator of occupational well-being.     

Exploring the impact of personality on performance: How time-on-task moderates the mediation by self-efficacy

Despite the widely acknowledged impact of dispositional traits on performance, little is known about how personality affects performance. We address this gap by investigating the relationships between the Big Five personality traits, self-efficacy, and academic performance in a moderated mediation model using time-on-task as the moderating variable. Results indicate that self-efficacy partially mediates the conscientiousness–performance relationship and that time-on-task moderates the mediating effect of self-efficacy. Time-on-task moderates the indirect effect of conscientiousness on course performance through self-efficacy such that the indirect effect is not significant at low levels of time-on-task, but becomes significant and stronger at higher levels of time-on-task.     

依恋内部工作模式的研究概述及探讨

依恋内部工作模式（internal working model）是一种认知/情感性的构造,是在婴儿/孩子与父母行为交互作用的过程中发展起来的对他人和自我的一种心理表征。Bowlby的内部工作模式的概念为理解依恋行为的发展提供了方法,是依恋研究工作的进步。该文从内部工作模式的性质、内部工作模式的结构和其稳定性的研究对内部工作模式进行了较为详细的介绍,详细论述了在发展心理学和社会心理学不同理论背景下的几种可能的结构,进一步分析了内部工作模式的稳定性和变化的机制及其影响因素,并对今后内部工作模式概念的发展和可能的不同类型的内部工作模型结构的存在进行了思考和探索。特别的提出,随着儿童青少年的成长,人际关系的不断复杂化,个体可能在自身的依恋模式基础上分别分化出不同类型的工作模式结构,对这一理论构想进行深入研究将有可能揭示内部工作模式的个体差异性。     

A network conceptualization of the multiple facets of distress tolerance

ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives: Using a network analysis (NA) approach, the current study examined the relations among different facets of Distress Tolerance (DT). The NA approach quantifies and displays relations among variables in a visual network consisting of nodes (symptoms) and edges (partial correlations between symptoms). Design: An exploratory NA approach evaluated how manifestations of DT uniquely and systematically relate to one another. Methods: Undergraduate students (N?=?288) completed 10 commonly used measures of DT including cognitive, behavioral, and self-report measures. Results: Results indicated all relations in the network were positive apart from social sensitivity and suppression. Further, individual DT facets did not form distinct community structures (nodes that cluster together and thus have stronger relations with each other than other nodes in the network). Conclusions: The lack of community structures suggests that DT is a general ability to tolerate distress that is comprised of many different facets rather than the idea that DT is hierarchical and comprised of distinct domains; a current debate within the literature. The self-reported ability to tolerate life demands and tasks was the most influential facet in the overall network suggesting the Frustration Discomfort Scale may be the best global measure of DT.