Implicit need for achievement predicts attenuated cortisol responses to difficult tasks

The present research tested the hypothesis that the implicit need for achievement (n Achievement) predicts attenuated cortisol (C) responses to difficult tasks, because it represents a propensity to view difficulty as a cue to mastery reward. In two studies, n Achievement was assessed through content-coding of imaginative stories and salivary C was assessed both at baseline and post-task. In Study 1 (N = 108 US students), n Achievement predicted an attenuated C response to a one-on-one competition in the laboratory, regardless of whether participants won or lost. In Study 2 (N = 62 German students), n Achievement predicted an attenuated C response to the Trier Social Stress Test (Kirschbaum, Pirke, & Hellhammer, 1993), but not to a non-stressful control task. In Study 2 only, the attenuating effect of n Achievement was moderated by gender, with only men showing the effect. Across both studies, the average effect size of the association between n Achievement and C responses to difficult tasks was r = −.28. These findings point to a role of n Achievement in emotion regulation.     

Mindreading deception in dialog

This paper considers the problem of detecting deceptive agents in a conversational context. We argue that distinguishing between types of deception is required to generate successful action. This consideration motivates a novel taxonomy of deceptive and ignorant mental states, emphasizing the importance of an ulterior motive when classifying deceptive agents. After illustrating this taxonomy with a sequence of examples, we introduce a Framework for Identifying Deceptive Entities (FIDE) and demonstrate that FIDE has the representational power to distinguish between the members of our taxonomy. We conclude with some conjectures about how FIDE could be used for inference.     

The effect of autonomous and controlled motives on eating dysregulation: Implications for individuals classified as underweight,overweight or obese

IntroductionControlled and autonomous motivational factors from self-determination theory have previously been highlighted as key factors in eating regulation. The present study examined controlled motives as an overarching motivational factor in eating dysregulation and examined its effects on dieting behaviour for those who are underweight, overweight or obese.ObjectiveTo examine whether the influence of controlled motives on dieting behaviour would be moderated by body mass index (BMI). Specifically, it was hypothesised that controlled motives would be associated with high levels of dieting behaviour in underweight individuals and low levels of dieting behaviour in individuals classified as overweight or obese.MethodOne hundred and thirty-seven participants completed the measures of height, weight, and motivation and intentions towards watching their diet and subsequently completed a measure of dieting behaviour two weeks later.ResultsModerated regression and simple slopes analyses provided support for the hypothesised effects at underweight, overweight, and obese range BMIs.ConclusionThe effect of controlled motives on dieting behaviour is dependent upon BMI and therefore varies across underweight, overweight, and obese individuals. The implications of controlled motives and external pressures to watch one's diet are discussed.     

Better to Give and to Compete? Prosocial and Competitive Motives as Interactive Predictors of Citizenship Behavior

Research has returned mixed results concerning the relationship between prosocial motivation and citizenship behavior. Building from research suggesting that mixed motives might explain these equivocal findings, we conducted two field studies examining the interaction between prosocial and competitive motives and two types of citizenship behavior. Prosocial motivation, but not competitive motivation, was positively related to citizenship behavior directed at others, though this relationship was weakened when prosocial motives were accompanied by competitive motives. Prosocial motives compensated for weak competitive motives to predict citizenship behavior directed toward the organization. Our studies expand research on prosocial and competitive motivation, mixed-motives, and citizenship behavior. Further, they carry personnel implications given that many organizations seek to hire employees high on both competitive and prosocial motivation.     

Happiness increases distraction by auditory deviant stimuli

Rare and unexpected changes (deviants) in an otherwise repeated stream of task‐irrelevant auditory distractors (standards) capture attention and impair behavioural performance in an ongoing visual task. Recent evidence indicates that this effect is increased by sadness in a task involving neutral stimuli. We tested the hypothesis that such effect may not be limited to negative emotions but reflect a general depletion of attentional resources by examining whether a positive emotion (happiness) would increase deviance distraction too. Prior to performing an auditory‐visual oddball task, happiness or a neutral mood was induced in participants by means of the exposure to music and the recollection of an autobiographical event. Results from the oddball task showed significantly larger deviance distraction following the induction of happiness. Interestingly, the small amount of distraction typically observed on the standard trial following a deviant trial (post‐deviance distraction) was not increased by happiness. We speculate that happiness might interfere with the disengagement of attention from the deviant sound back towards the target stimulus (through the depletion of cognitive resources and/or mind wandering) but help subsequent cognitive control to recover from distraction.     

Végétarisme,végétalisme,véganisme : des comportements (alimentaires) au service de l’identité ? Une étude qualitative en population française

IntroductionThese last years have been marked by an evolution as to how people feed themselves, highlighting a growing interest for vegetarian food. Vegetarianism at large refers to several types of food that are characterized by the partial or total exclusion of animal foods. This study aims at relating various elements associated to vegetarianism, such as eating motives, behaviors, self-perception and others’ perception, in relation with the notion of identity.MethodParticipants were recruited via vegetarian and vegan (for food and for lifestyle) groups on Facebook, once their agreement was obtained. Six interviews were conducted by a clinical psychologist around the notion of being and identity related to food, as well as the food history of the individual and his/her family. The use of retrospective investigation makes possible to establish a continuity between the past and the current eating behavior. These interviews, once manually transcribed, were the subject of a complex semantic analysis via TROPES software (version 8.4).ResultsThe results showed a major use of state's and identity's verbs (being, becoming, “I”) and the personal pronoun “we”, referring to a construction of both individual and collective identity around the diet. The commitment to vegetarian/vegan diet has been primarily motivated by ethical concern. And, positive feelings have emerged following the adoption of this type of diet, such as pride, inner purity and a sense of being healthy and holy. Despite the fact that their diet is ethically focused, participants spontaneously addressed the issue of weight and body image.Discussion/conclusionWhatever the food's history of participants, identifications to disorders related to body image or identifications to weight categories have preceded the identification to a specific diet. And the following of a vegetarian/vegan diet appears at the base of positive feelings toward oneself and a better self-esteem. So, we can assume that adopting a vegetarian/vegan diet could improve self-perception. Otherwise, the ethical choice mentioned by the participants, may be an acceptable sociable justification to control more or less the fate of their body (inside and outside). More research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms of vegetarian/vegan diet, to explore the personality profiles of individuals and their relation to the body.     

Perception of communal motives in couples: Accuracy,bias, and their associations with relationship length

Can romantic partners accurately perceive each other’s communal motives, or are these perceptions biased by their own motivational hopes and fears? This study used data from N = 1,905 partnered participants to examine the extent to which partner perceptions of communal motives correspond to targets’ (accuracy) and perceivers’ (motivational bias) explicit and implicit communal motives. Our results indicate that explicit communal motives and implicit communal approach motives can be (a) accurately inferred and (b) positively bias communal motive perception. Furthermore, there was no evidence for moderation of either accuracy or motivational bias by relationship length. These findings point to the early visibility of both implicit and explicit motives in couples, as well as their persistent biasing effects on partner perception.     

Mixture Modeling of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and Binge Eating: Behaviors and Motives

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and binge eating frequently co-occur. These behaviors are often used to alleviate distress. Previous studies examining this co-occurrence have used a variable-centered approach. The current study used a person-centered approach (mixture modeling) to examine how individuals cluster in groups based on their past-month NSSI, past-month objective and subjective binge episodes (OBEs and SBEs, respectively), and endorsement of coping motives for NSSI and eating in two large samples of emerging adults. Validators included self-report measures of emotion regulation, impulsivity, and negative affect. In Study 1, additional validators included lifetime history of mental health treatment and suicide attempts. In Study 2, additional validators included child abuse history. In both Study 1 and Study 2, a three-class solution provided the most interpretable fit with classes characterized as (a) low psychopathology; (b) the presence of OBEs and NSSI, and endorsement of NSSI coping motives; and (c) the presence of SBEs and NSSI, and endorsement of high levels of NSSI coping motives. In both studies, eating motives were equivalent in Classes 2 and 3, but NSSI motives were most strongly endorsed by Class 3. In Study 1, Class 2 endorsed higher rates of lifetime suicide attempts than Class 3. In Study 2, both Class 2 and Class 3 endorsed higher rates of child abuse than Class 1, although they did not differ from each other. The class structure and validator analysis were consistent across samples and measures. Results suggest that binge eating and NSSI tend to cluster together in otherwise healthy emerging adults.     

Fostering learning-in-organizing through narration: Questioning myths and stimulating multiplicity in two performing art schools

This article is organized around the concept of “learning-in-organizing” to capture the collective, dynamic, and relational nature of how groups of persons, moving together through space and time, can come to gain knowledge and appreciation of a given issue through “storying” their experiences. Learning is understood as an integral part of the process of organizing. I suggest that the character and modes of learning vary depending on the stage of organizing. These move through stages of relative stability (“gaming”) and change (“playing”). The learning that takes place during a relative stable period has the character of monitoring and is primarily problem driven. During change, more complicated learning occurs. Inherited myths and rules are called into question; situations and problems are redefined as a result of the conflicting stories told by social actors. This article covers considerable theoretical and practical ground in outlining and illustrating this dynamic narrative approach to organizational learning. It includes a case concerned with making self-care a public issue among the communities of two performing art schools. The example shows that in situations where inherited narratives are no longer adequate, it is possible to foster transformational learning through reflexive dialogues if participants are willing to share their experiences, to take each other seriously, and to acknowledge multiplicity.     

Impact of Experimentally Induced Positive and Anxious Mood on Alcohol Expectancy Strength in Internally Motivated Drinkers

The effects of musically‐induced positive and anxious mood on explicit alcohol‐related cognitions (alcohol expectancy strength) in 47 undergraduate students who consume alcohol either to enhance positive mood states (for enhancement motives) or to cope with anxiety (for anxiety‐related coping motives) were investigated. Pre‐ and post‐mood induction, participants completed the emotional reward and emotional relief subscales of the Alcohol Craving Questionnaire – Now. The hypothesis that anxiety‐related coping motivated drinkers in the anxious mood condition (but not those in the positive mood condition) would exhibit increases in strength of explicit emotional relief alcohol expectancies after the mood induction was supported. An additional, unanticipated finding was that enhancement‐motivated drinkers in the anxious condition also showed significant increases in strength of explicit emotional relief (but not emotional reward) alcohol expectancies. The hypothesis that enhancement‐motivated (but not anxiety‐related coping motivated) participants would exhibit increases in explicit emotional reward expectancies following exposure to the positive mood induction procedure was not supported. Taken together with past research findings, the current results highlight the importance of distinguishing between subtypes of negative affect (i.e., anxious and depressed affect) in exploring the affective antecedents of explicit alcohol outcome expectancies.