Controlling the flight on double-handed foiling catamarans: The role of shared equipment on the crew members' mutual modes of regulation

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the understanding of the role of shared sport equipment in the collective coordination of a team. It was conducted within an enactive approach of human cognition by mobilizing the methodological tools and methods of the Course of Action framework. Six crew members of hydrofoil sailing catamarans participated in this study. Data collection consisted in video-recording training sessions followed by individual self-confrontation interviews. A qualitative analysis of the data allowed typical modes of regulation of the flight to be characterized from each crew member's perspective. Three main modes of regulation were identified. All of them involved either salient perception of the boat's movements, or actions directed to regulating the boat’s movement. In the discussion, we propose a distinction between three types of collective sport situations, regarding the role of the material environment of athletes in their coordination. This distinction opens new perspectives both for future research on team coordination, and for pedagogical and training implications.     

Ambulatory emotional reactivity to negative daily life events predicts remission from major depressive disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is often associated with altered emotional reactivity. However, the functional significance of altered emotional reactivity in MDD is uncertain. This study was the first to examine the predictive relationship between intensely sampled ambulatory emotional reactivity and the clinical course of MDD. Forty-six outpatients who met criteria for MDD underwent six days of experience sampling of their ambulatory reactivity to everyday negative and positive life events. After experience sampling, all outpatients received pharmacotherapy with supportive psychotherapy and were followed clinically for 18 months. At one month, less emotional reactivity to negative and positive daily events predicted higher depressive symptom severity. Importantly, patients who exhibited less negative emotional reactivity to daily negative life events were less likely to recover from MDD over the 18 month follow-up. Relationships between ambulatory emotional reactivity and MDD course were not accounted for by the duration or the severity of initial MDD symptoms. Diminished ambulatory emotional reactivity appears to be functionally significant in depression. Intensive sampling of ambulatory emotions may have utility for predicting the clinical course of MDD.     

Student responses to a reflexive course evaluation

Simple surveys are the predominant tool for course evaluations in most universities, but their validity has been questioned. They have been criticized for being a ritual way of complying with administrative regulations rather than a way of improving educational quality. Moreover, there is often a focus on student satisfaction, where the complexity of learning processes and the development of learner identities are lost. As an alternative approach, a qualitative course evaluation was tested that consisted of a single question: What could have been done in this course in order to better support your learning? Twenty-one second-year psychology students completed the evaluation at the end of a course. They provided rich answers describing learning activities and communication, and they described both teachers and students as agents. Going beyond merely reporting possible improvements, the students saw their learning processes in a context of academic demands and social mechanisms. It is argued that qualitative course evaluations can provide information about students’ understanding of their own learning that is difficult to uncover in a traditional survey. It is concluded that qualitative course evaluations would support the development of a student learner identity and help create a role for students as co-producers of knowledge.     

Failure to warn: How student race affects warnings of potential academic difficulty

In two studies, we document “failure to warn”—a reduced likelihood of warning Black students against potential academic difficulty compared to White students. In both studies, participants placed in the role of academic advisors saw a highly challenging academic course plan, attributed to either a Black or a White student, and gave Black students less warning about the potential negative consequences of taking on the proposed plan. Study 1 (N = 172) demonstrates this effect using undergraduate peer academic advisors, and Study 2 (N = 58) provides evidence that this effect is moderated by Internal Motivation to Respond Without Prejudice (Plant & Devine, 1998), suggesting that this effect is driven by the fear that discouraging an ambitious Black student might reflect prejudice. This well-intentioned concern can have the ironic consequence of leading the recipients of this advice into academic difficulties.     

社会主义核心价值体系融入大学生思想政治教育的调查与思考

对江苏、安徽两省大学生和高校思想政治理论课教师进行的调查显示,大学生对社会主义核心价值体系基内容能基本了解和认可,对社会主义核心价值体系建设的措施的也持积极的看法。同时,调查也表明当前大学生在马克思主义信仰、理想信念等方面的认识上存在着许多不足;高校思想政治课教师的理论素养、思想政治理论课教学也存在不少亟待解决的问题。应高度重视社会主义核心价值体系融入大学生思想政治教育的极端重要性,通过改进高校思想政治理论课教学、开展大学生个人品德建设、注重解决现实生活中使人困惑的问题以及整合利用多种课外教育资源、增加社会实践环节等措施来加强和改进大学生的社会主义核心价值体系教育。     

The relationship between purposiveness and information integration: The effect of metamotivational states on cognitive rules in sport

IntroductionInformation integration theory is based on an axiom of purposiveness (i.e. cognition is goal-motivated) and on an axiom of integration (i.e. an action or thought depends on the integration of several stimuli). The relationship between the two axioms has not previously been studied.ObjectiveTo explore the influence of metamotivational states on information integration. We looked at how 70 athletes combined four factors (autonomy, relatedness, competence, and the natural environment) when deciding whether or not to get involved in running under paratelic (activity-oriented) and telic (goal-oriented) conditions.MethodThe participants recorded their decision-making processes for two sets of 24 scenarios built from combinations of the four factors. Repeated-measures ANOVAs were applied to the data.ResultsAll four factors were taken into consideration by the participants when deciding whether or not to get involved in running. The participants used a conjunctive rule under the paratelic condition and an additive rule under the telic condition.ConclusionAn individual's metamotivational state may modify the cognitive algebra in information integration. Further research is required to confirm these initial findings.     

Does initial behavior predict our physical fitness and health 18 years later?

ObjectivesThe aim of the present paper was, first, to analyze a four level biopsychosocial model to examine the interaction of various initial health behaviors and, second, their consequences with respect to the course of physical fitness (PF) and health of adults over the course of 18 years.DesignLongitudinal study based on medical examinations and self-ratings.MethodPath analysis along with latent growth curve analysis was based on the German study about the relationship of physical activity, fitness and health (1992–2010). Data were collected from 495 adults (243 women) with an average age of 45.03 years in 1992 (SD = 7.45). Participants were randomly selected from the official registers of local residents' registration offices in the community of Bad Schönborn.ResultsFor the mean PF and health levels in 1992, direct and indirect influences were shown on four levels including socioeconomic status and immigration on the first level, outcome expectations and stress coping strategies on the second level as well as eating patterns and physical activity on the third level; furthermore, the course of PF and the course of health (from 1992 until 2010) were affected by the initial behaviors (physical activity and eating patterns in 1992); finally PF and health were not related.ConclusionsInfluences on four levels provided evidence for the complexity of PF and health (outcome level). Initial behaviors predicted current PF and health status, as well as their course. Thus, preventive measures should ensure that healthy behaviors are adopted early in adulthood.     

First impressions and professor reputation: influence on student evaluations of instruction

We examined the effects of professor reputation versus first impressions on student evaluations of instruction. Students in 19 Psychology courses completed course evaluation surveys either before meeting the instructor or 2 weeks into the semester. Both groups then completed the course evaluation again at the end of the semester. Unlike evaluations completed prior to meeting the professor, students’ ratings 2 weeks into the semester did not differ from end-of-semester evaluations. Therefore, students considered first impressions more important than professor reputation as determinants of their end-of-the semester evaluations. Results suggest that students form lasting impressions within the first 2 weeks of classes.

Understanding Student Complaints in the Service Learning Pedagogy

This study draws upon student evaluations across 3 years of service learning (SL) courses at a large, urban, faith-based university identifying issues of greatest concern to students. Analysis of qualitative responses revealed perspectives on the limits, pitfalls, and barriers to successful SL student work in the community replicated over the 3 year timeframe. Over 2,200 written responses were coded and tested for reliability for each of 3 years. The top three comments SL students were most likely to express included: (1) concern about their placement in the community, for example, that sites were not prepared or that further goal-setting, communication and training by the university was necessary; (2) that the university’s choice of sites may have been ill considered; and, (3) that there were problems with time and scheduling. Ongoing assessment of students’ perspectives on their placement experience identifies practices that can enhance their learning and contributions toward building stronger communities.     

Overgeneral autobiographical memory as a predictor of the course of depression: A meta-analysis

Overgeneral autobiographical memory (OGM) is a robust phenomenon in depression, but the extent to which OGM predicts the course of depression is not well-established. This meta-analysis synthesized data from 15 studies to examine the degree to which OGM 1) correlates with depressive symptoms at follow-up, and 2) predicts depressive symptoms at follow-up over and above initial depressive symptoms. Although the effects are small, specific and categoric/overgeneral memories generated during the Autobiographical Memory Test significantly predicted the course of depression. Fewer specific memories and more categoric/overgeneral memories were associated with higher follow-up depressive symptoms, and predicted higher follow-up symptoms over and above initial symptoms. Potential moderators were also examined. The age and clinical depression status of participants, as well as the length of follow-up between the two depressive symptom assessments, significantly moderated the predictive relationship between OGM and the course of depression. The predictive relationship between specific memories and follow-up depressive symptoms became greater with increasing age and a shorter length of follow-up, and the predictive relationship was stronger for participants with clinical depression diagnoses than for nonclinical participants. These findings highlight OGM as a predictor of the course of depression, and future studies should investigate the mechanisms underlying this relationship.