The effects of goal types on psychological outcomes in active and insufficiently active adults in a walking task: Further evidence for open goals

ObjectivesThis study aimed to extend recent work on the effects of goal types in physical activity (PA; Swann, Hooper et al., 2020) by comparing the effects of SMART, open, and do-your-best (DYB) goals on performance and psychological responses in active and insufficiently active adults in a walking task.Design4 (goal condition) x 3 (attempt) x 2 (group) mixed design.MethodsActive (n = 18) and insufficiently active (n = 18) participants completed baseline and two experimental attempts of a 6-minute walking test in four conditions: SMART goal; open goal; DYB goal; and control. A range of measures were taken during and following each attempt, and after each session. A series of mixed ANOVA’s were conducted for all measures assessed between groups.ResultsInsufficiently active participants achieved greater distances in the open condition compared to the SMART condition (p < .001), whereas active participants achieved greater distances in the SMART condition compared to the open condition (p < .001). Additionally, exploratory analyses revealed that insufficiently active participants reported greater pleasure and enjoyment (p < .05) in the open condition compared to active participants, who conversely reported more pleasure and enjoyment (p < .05) in the SMART condition than insufficiently active participants.ConclusionsFindings provide initial evidence that PA and psychological responses differ between active and insufficiently active individuals depending on goal type. This work has potential implications for goal setting strategies in PA promotion and raises further questions about current practices of setting SMART goals for insufficiently active participants.     

Do mindful people set better goals? Investigating the relation between trait mindfulness,self-concordance,and goal progress

The present research examined the relation between trait mindfulness, self-concordance, and goal progress. We hypothesized that mindfulness would be positively associated with setting self-concordant goals (Studies 1–3), which would in turn predict greater goal progress (Studies 2 and 3). An internal mini meta-analysis (N = 1522) indicates that mindfulness had a small, positive association with self-concordant goal setting, r = 0.14, p < .001. Two longitudinal studies (Studies 2 and 3) found a small indirect effect of mindfulness on goal progress through self-concordance, although this was marginal in Study 2. In addition, Studies 2 and 3 found that mindfulness predicted increases in goal self-concordance over time. These findings provide support for the proposition that mindful people set “better” goals.     

Behavioral and endocrine aspects of dominance and submission in male rabbits

Small all-male groups of rabbits were studied for periods of 15–20 days in a seminatural setting, giving the animals the possibility of initiating and pacing their social interactions. Behavioral observations included: intermale activity recorded daily and the reactions to the occasional introduction of an intruder female. Hormones were measured in blood samples taken at the beginning and at the end of the experimental period. A combination of behavioral and endocrine parameters, rather than single measures, was used to assign each individual its social rank within each group. Tables of concordance between behavioral and endocrine parameters were compiled to evaluate the dominance and the subordination hierarchy. Different behavioral categories and elements characterized dominance and subordination, indicating the two as district rather than simply reciprocal traits. Their endocrine basis is also different, final levels of testosterone and estradiol being associated with dominance, and corticosterone, ACTH, and androstenedione with subordination. The same hormones in the initial samples were unrelated to the subsequent social status, indicating that hormones are not prerequisites of status. The relevance of specific behavioral and endocrine parameters is discussed.     

The effectiveness of computerized cognitive training on working memory in a school setting

Working memory (WM) is a significant predictor of academic performance. Emerging empirical evidence has shown that WM can be improved via computerized cognitive training (CCT). Though studies have shown that CCT can improve WM in typical and atypical populations, little is known regarding the efficacy of implementing CCT within a school setting. To address this, the current study examines whether CCT can be efficaciously implemented to remediate WM deficits in students during the school day. Among 17 participants from a school for students with learning differences, nine engaged in a CCT program for a total of 20 hr, whereas the remaining eight students engaged in an out-of-class reading activity. Pretest to posttest differences showed that auditory WM abilities significantly improved only for those who received the training program. These results provide initial support for the efficacy of implementing CCT training within the school setting to improve WM.     

行为决策中诱饵效应的认知加工机制

在原选项集中加入一个诱饵选项能够使人们的选择发生改变, 这就是诱饵效应。研究者发现可以通过设置相似诱饵、妥协诱饵、吸引诱饵以及幽灵诱饵等达到诱导决策者选择目标选项的目的。当前, 很多研究探索了诱饵效应的认知加工机制, 有研究者基于启发式加工和分析式加工的视角开展研究, 也有研究者从维度加工和选项加工的视角对此进行探索。诱饵效应的认知加工过程受到年龄、后悔情绪、决策形式以及时间压力等因素的影响。未来的研究需要构建适用于各类诱饵效应的统一的认知加工机制模型, 探索知觉在诱饵效应形成过程中的基础性作用, 探索个体的决策风格对不同类型诱饵效应的影响, 并通过合理利用诱饵效应助推社会发展。     

Working adults’ well‐being: An online self‐help goal‐based intervention

An online self‐help goal‐setting and planning (GAP) intervention to improve working adults’ well‐being was tested using a longitudinal, randomized crossover design. The study sought to (1) test the effectiveness of the intervention relative to wait‐list controls; and (2) test the stability of effects over a 3‐month follow‐up period. Participants were recruited from the UK Civil Service and were randomized to either a GAP intervention or a wait‐list control condition. Wait‐list participants then crossed‐over to receive GAP. Relative to wait‐list controls (N = 149), GAP participants (N = 158) reported significantly higher levels of positive affect (PA) and flourishing, but similar levels of negative affect (NA) and life satisfaction immediately after the intervention. Longitudinal data were analysed for the whole sample (N = 307). Compared to the start of the intervention, participants reported an increase in PA and flourishing directly after the intervention and 3 months later. NA and life satisfaction showed no change by the end of the intervention, but had improved by 3‐month follow‐up. Completing more modules predicted post‐intervention improvements in well‐being, accounting for pre‐intervention well‐being levels. The online self‐help format allowed the intervention to be offered with minimal therapeutic support, enabling convenient access by a large group of employees. The study provides an example of a successful adaptation of a clinically proven well‐being intervention to make it accessible to working adults.

Practitioner points

• Well‐being interventions proven in clinical settings can be effectively adapted for use in workplace settings with only minor alterations.
• Brief, online self‐help interventions can improve working adults’ well‐being.
• Goal‐based interventions can improve working adults’ well‐being when focused towards goals that are aligned with personal values and have been chosen by the individual.

     

Organisation of executive functions: Hemispheric asymmetries

This address provides a review of evidence for a deconstruction of executive functions, the set of cognitive operations which allow goal-directed behaviour. The underlying working hypothesis is that some complementary and computationally diverse executive functions are dissociable not only functionally but also temporally and anatomically, along the left-right axis of prefrontal cortex and related neural networks. In particular, criterion setting—the capacity to flexibly set up and select task rules—is more left-lateralised; monitoring—the process of continuously evaluating the internal or external contingencies to optimise behaviour—is more right-lateralised; finally, superior medial prefrontal regions, including dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, play a role in energising weakly activated but relevant processes. Several lines of empirical evidence, including neuroimaging and neuropsychological findings, are presented to support this tripartite model of executive functions. Evidence which is difficult to explain with this model and some future directions are also discussed.     

Case history of Farida: A year of psychotherapy with a girl who said she was sexually abused

This paper discusses how thinking about a playroom involves our thinking about the setting in psychoanalytical work with children in general - the physical as well as the human aspects - and how this encourages us to rethink some of the basic aims in psychoanalytic work. The paper describes the importance of the setting being such as to help the therapist to have the freedom to think and to feel what is going on in the child and himself. Links are then made with aspects of transference and counter-transference, and brief examples given.     

The Test–Retest Reliability and Predictive Validity of a Battery of Newly Developed Occupational Performance Assessments

The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure was used as a tool to compare goals for intervention identified by seven clients living in a long-term residential program and diagnosed with schizophrenia, with their goals as identified by the occupational therapist. In-depth interviews were conducted in conjunction with the use of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Data analysis revealed an overarching theme that described the clients' concerns as, “I want to accomplish goals outside of the residence program.” During the analysis, however, the data revealed that the occupational therapist primarily focused her attention on goals to be achieved within the residence program, emphasizing programming and symptom management as each client's priorities for intervention, rather than community involvement. The findings reveal how data from the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure was used to reveal client/therapist disconnect in goal setting and the need to continue to examine client-centered practices in mental health settings.