Prediction of goal-directed behavior: attitude, subjective behavioral competence and emotions]

Ajzen's (1985) theory of planned behavior explaining and predicting goal-directed behavior is extended by an emotional component. The extended theory of planned behavior is tested experimentally. N = 64 subjects play with two video games (a speed- and a problem-oriented game) under an achievement-motivational orientation. One half of the subjects plays both games in an easy version, the other half in a difficult version. The verbal emotional reactions to playing video games are grouped factor-analytically into an "activity emotion" and a "security emotion". Subjects playing video games in the difficult condition feel significantly more insecure, and perceive their behavioral control as significantly lower than subjects playing in the easy condition. Tests of the extended theory of planned behavior lead to significant squared multiple correlations for the dependent variables within the range of R2 = .20 to .58. The activity emotion accounts predominantly for a significant part of the variance of the attitude and the security emotion accounts for a significant part of the variance of the perceived behavioral control. No predictive power was found for the intention to play the games successfully.     

Neonatal auditory habituation and state change

Groups of newborn babies were exposed to various series of 90 dB SPL noiseband stimuli or to simulated (control) stimuli, while their heart rates (HR) and states of behavioural arousal were monitored. In general the response to stimulation was an accelerative HR change which tended to decrease with repeated stimulation. This seemed to provide evidence of habituation to the auditory stimuli. However, the HR response to sound depended on prestimulus HR and on state, and, when these effects were removed by regression techniques, the progressive decrease in evoked HR with repeated stimulation disappeared, apart from the first few trials. This implied that there was HR habituation to the initial stimuli, but not subsequently, when the apparent HR “habituation” reflected progressive endogenous state changes.