Visual stimulus input, saccadic suppression, and detection of information from the postsaccade scene

Tachistoscopic presentation of saccadic stimulus sequences to fixating subjects produced saccadic suppression curves only when the pre- and postsaccade fixation fields were structured. Displacement in the sense either of movement of the intrasaccade display or of change from pre- to postsaccade fixation field was not required. Variation of intrasaccade displays from contours moving at saccadic rates to a stationary gray field had no effect. When one structured field immediately followed another, the change of sensitivity mimicked suppression, but an interposed grayout magnified the loss and therefore probably reduced carryover from the first fixation field. Interposed grayout also delayed recovery but reduced the latency of detection of information from the postfield, so that it appears to have reduced stimulus overload from the sudden presentation of the second field.     

Perceived Rewards of Nursing Among Christian Nursing Students in Bangalore,India

Nurses in India face significant challenges and often migrate to practice nursing abroad. Few studies have focused on the rewards of nursing in India. The aim of this study was to illuminate perceived rewards of nursing among Christian student nurses in Bangalore, India. Photovoice, a participatory action methodology was used, and 14 Christian student nurses participated in the study. Thematic interpretation of photographs, journals, critical group dialog sessions, and observational field notes resulted in the identification of two main themes. These themes included intrinsic rewards and lifelong benefits of nursing in India.     

The Illness Perceptions and Treatment Beliefs of Individuals with Severe Haemophilia and their Role in Adherence to Home Treatment

The majority of individuals in the UK with severe haemophilia treat themselves at home with clotting factor. The aim of this study was to examine patient's beliefs about their haemophilia, their beliefs regarding treatment with clotting factor and to assess whether relationships existed between these factors and adherence to home treatment. Patient beliefs were assessed by posting individuals with severe haemophilia A and B ( n = 104) the Illness Perceptions Questionnaire (IPQ) and the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ). The final analysis was based on 65 questionnaires yielding a response rate of 63%. Adherence to the frequency and to the amount of each clotting factor dose was assessed for individuals treating prophylactically and the amount of each clotting factor dose for those only treating 'on-demand'. Adherence scores were calculated by comparing individual patient treatment records with recommended regimens. Regression analysis indicated that perceptions of illness identity and treatment necessity explained a significant amount of the variance in adherence to frequency of prophylactic infusions and that illness identity was associated with the adherence to the amount of each prophylactic dose. Further regression analysis also showed that the amount of each dose of clotting factor administered on-demand was associated with perceptions regarding the necessity of treatment. Analysis with a combined measure of adherence to dose amount indicated that patients treating on-demand or with prophylaxis who under treated, recorded significantly lower perceptions of illness consequence than individuals who were fully adherent or who over-treated. The results suggest that assessing illness perceptions, especially beliefs regarding identity , consequence and necessity of treatment, may play a valuable role in identifying which individuals are least likely to adhere to treatment.     

Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory Correlates with Personality Characteristics of Organ Donation Advocates

Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and background questionnaire data were collected from a sample of men and women organ donation advocates (N = 362) as part of a national study to investigate their personality characteristics, temperaments, and attitudes about organ donation advocacy. Goals included identifying unique traits for advocates, and response consistency between the TCI and questionnaire. The TCI results included high scores on Cooperativeness and Self-Directedness, and low on Harm Avoidance dimensions. The questionnaire results indicated that most advocates were White, married, college-educated females, who typically spent less than 2 hr with potential donor families, were satisfied with life and job, and believed they would be in a donation position 2 years from the time surveyed. TCI and questionnaire measures were correlated for Self-Transcendence and Spirituality, Helpfulness and Job Satisfaction, and Compassion and Identification variables.     

The impact of politeness and relationship on perceived quality of advice about a problem

Advice is a common but potentially problematic way to respond to someone who is distressed. Politeness theory (Brown & Levinson, 1987) suggests advice threatens a hearer's face and predicts that the speaker‐hearer relationship and the use of politeness strategies can mitigate face threat and enhance the effectiveness of advice messages. Students (N=384) read 1 of 16 hypothetical situations that varied in speaker power and closeness of the speaker‐hearer relationship. Students then read 1 of 48 advice messages representing different politeness strategies and rated the message for regard shown for face and for effectiveness. However, neither speaker‐hearer relationship nor politeness strategies was consistently associated with perceived threat to face or perceived advice effectiveness. We suggest revisions to politeness theory and additional factors that may affect judgments of face sensitivity and advice effectiveness.     

Promoting fan engagement: An exploration of the fundamental motives for sport consumption amongst premier league football spectators

The aim of this study was to examine whether fan engagement could be predicted by the motivational dimensions of sport consumption. A sample of 806 football sport fans (African = 85%, male = 67.4%, part of an organised supporters club = 57.6%) were participants. They completed the Fan Engagement Scale (FES), the Motivation Scale for Sport Consumption (MSSC) and a biographical questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was applied to evaluate the postulated regressive paths between the motivational dimensions for sports consumption and fan engagement. The motivational dimensions for sport consumption were clustered into personal and game-related factors. Both these clusters of factors were predictive of fan engagement. Customer engagement (CE) theory appears to explain the findings.