Regulate to facilitate: A scoping review of prefrontal asymmetry in sport and exercise

BackgroundPrefrontal asymmetry (PFA) describes the relative activity of the right PFC compared to the left PFC. It has been shown that PFA is associated with affective and motivational variables in several contexts, including sport and exercise. Considering the significant roles of affect and motivation in different performance settings, PFA might also be an important indicator of athletic performance. However, the relevance of PFA in the sport and exercise setting has not yet been addressed in its entirety. Instead, previous systematic reviews have solely focused on affective variables. Mapping out the complex interactions between PFA and affective, motivational as well as performance variables could help to understand what determines successful athletic performance as well as the positive psychological effects associated with exercise.ApproachScientific databases were searched for quantitative studies in English language published in international peer-reviewed journals. All 27 selected studies assessed physical activity and measured PFA in the brain locations F4-F3 and/or F8-F7 using electroencephalography.FindingsThe majority of the studies used a non-athlete sample (78%) and exercise types were diverse. While all studies focused on affective or motivational processes, 19% also reported associations with performance. Even though findings are inconsistent, they support the assumption that PFA plays a role in self-regulation.ConclusionThere is evidence for an involvement of PFA in affective, motivational and performance processes in the sport and exercise setting that can be interpreted as regulatory mechanisms. Future research on the underlying mechanisms is warranted, in particular, associations with motivational processes and performance need to be investigated more explicitly.     

From sport to eco: A case study of driver inputs on electric vehicle efficiency

This study focuses on driver-induced changes to vehicle energy and emissions performance by altering drivetrain configurations. It defines and examines the motivations for the use of drive modes in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Drive modes are defined as user-selectable drivetrain configurations that allow drivers to change vehicle performance aspects such as altering its propulsion status from electric to gas, changing the steering responsiveness, suspension stiffness, and regenerative braking strength. Despite the direct impact they have on the vehicle’s energy usage, greenhouse gas emissions, and local air emissions, the impact of drive modes are not traditionally measured as part of the vehicle’s performance and certification tests. The impact of drive mode choice can explain a portion of the discrepancy between PHEVs expected and on road performance as a recent study by the authors found that the use of certain modes can result in a 15–30% increase in total energy usage in a vehicle traveling at freeway speeds.This is the first study to examine the motivations for the use of these drive modes and provides an overview of PHEV drive modes, classifying them into two main mode categories (propulsion adjustment and driver experience) and eight different mode types based on their intended purpose. This is followed by a logistic regression of 11 indicators for mode usage taken from a survey of over 4,500 PHEV owning households, showing that gender and the number of long-distance trips were the most commonly associated with usage across mode types.     

De l’estime de soi et du sentiment d’auto-efficacité à la motivation au travail : le rôle médiateur du sens du travail chez les alternants en France

The purpose of this study was to test the links between self-esteem, the feeling of self-efficacy and the different forms of motivation. It also aimed to understand the mediating effect of the meaning of work between the variables. French work-integrated learning students (n = 471) completed a self-administered online questionnaire. The results showed significant links between self-esteem, perceived self-efficacy, work meaning, and different dimensions of motivation (extrinsic, intrinsic, and amotivation). In addition, the meaning of work played a mediating role in the relationship between self-esteem, perceived self-efficacy, and dimensions of motivation. This study showed the central mechanism of work meaning in work motivation.     

Rewards decrease risky decisions for adolescent drivers: Implications for crash prevention

Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are a major contributor to adolescent mortality. Adolescent drivers are more likely to make risky decisions in the presence of peers. However, rewards have also been shown to improve decision making in adolescence. Our goal was to determine if peer observation and reward effects on decision-making were dependent upon adolescent driving styles.Twenty-four healthy adolescents played a driving game in a 2 (no peer; peer) × 2 (no rewards; rewards) within-subjects experiment. Driving styles were measured by self-report.Rewards favoring safe choices reduced risky decision making, but this effect was especially robust for adolescents with driving styles that increase risk of MVCs (i.e., dangerous, fast, angry, or distracted styles). Findings suggest that rewards for safe driving can be an effective mechanism for reducing MVCs, especially for the most at-risk drivers, if they can be made appetizing to adolescents.     

Psychological mechanisms underlying the relationship between commercial physical activity app use and physical activity engagement

PurposePrevious studies have indicated a relationship between the use of commercial physical activity apps (e.g., Fitbit, Strava) and physical activity engagement. The use of social components of such apps, in particular app-specific communities (connecting with other app users) and existing social networking platforms (e.g., Facebook) have the potential to enhance physical activity. This study aimed to explore the psychological mechanisms underlying the relationship between the use of commercial physical activity apps (and their social components) and physical activity engagement.MethodAn online cross-sectional survey assessed physical activity, use of commercial physical activity apps (and their associated social components), and psychological constructs (social support, self-efficacy, motivation, trait competitiveness, trait social comparison).Results1274 adults aged 18–83 years (M_age = 34.1 ± 13.5 years, 87.6% female) participated. App use was positively associated with physical activity engagement. The relationship between app use and physical activity was fully mediated by social support, self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation and identified regulation. Trait competitiveness, but not trait social comparison, moderated the relationship between app use and physical activity. Most features (e.g., sharing posts, providing or receiving encouragement) of the social components of apps were positively associated with psychological constructs linked to engagement in physical activity. Mediation pathways linking features of existing social networking platforms with physical activity were found. Specifically, sharing posts was linked to higher engagement in physical activity via positive associations with self-efficacy, and receiving encouragement with linked to higher engagement in physical activity via positive associations with both self-efficacy and identified regulation. In addition, engagement in comparisons was associated with lower self-efficacy and higher external regulation, and in turn, lower physical activity.ConclusionsThe relationship between the use of commercial physical activity apps and physical activity is underpinned by social support, self-efficacy and autonomous motivations. The findings highlight the importance of trait competitiveness, which should be taken into consideration when leveraging physical activity apps. Overall, the present study demonstrated that commercial physical activity apps (and their social components) hold great potential to increase physical activity engagement given their associations with psychological constructs strongly linked with physical activity.     

Alcohol-related motivational tendencies in hazardous drinkers: assessing implicit response tendencies using the modified-IAT

This study examined the utility of an implicit measure of cognitive associations, the Implicit Association Test (IAT; ), to assess alcohol-related approach dispositions. Forty-seven hazardous drinkers completed a modified IAT procedure that assessed the relation between alcohol and behavioral categories (i.e., approach and avoid). Participants completed a series of individual difference measures before an alcohol cue exposure task in which they anticipated alcohol consumption. Results indicate that the modified IAT is associated with binge drinking episodes, perceived difficulty controlling alcohol use, and appetitive responses to alcohol cues. Findings are discussed in terms of the potential value of this measure to assess alcohol-related memory associations among those whose alcohol use puts them at risk for harm.     

Images of exercising: Exploring the links between exercise imagery use, autonomous and controlled motivation to exercise, and exercise intention and behavior

Objectives

In the present study, we tested a model examining the relationships between exercise imagery use, motivational regulations for exercise engagement, intention to exercise, and self-reported exercise behavior. This work represents an initial attempt to examine relationships between a new type of exercise imagery (enjoyment imagery) and motivational regulations for exercise.

Design

Cross-sectional.

Method

Exercisers with a mean age of 40.29 years (SD = 13.29; 177 female, 141 male) completed measures of the targeted variables.

Results

Structural equation modeling analyses revealed direct and indirect (via motivational regulations) links between imagery and exercise-related outcomes. Technique and enjoyment imagery were positively related to autonomous motivation. Conversely, appearance imagery was positively associated with controlled motivation. Direct relationships were evidenced between energy imagery and self-reported exercise behavior, and between appearance imagery and intention to exercise.

Conclusions

The potential motivational functions served by different exercise imagery types are discussed, and the inclusion of enjoyment imagery in future exercise imagery research is recommended.     

Perfectionism: The good,the bad,and the creative

The influence of adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism on creativity was examined. Initially, six measures of creativity were administered, including creative self-perceptions, behavior, and performance measures. Adaptive perfectionism was weakly positively related to creativity, whereas maladaptive perfectionism was unrelated to creativity across five of the six measures. A follow-up study assessed whether initial findings could be generalized to an everyday problem-solving task. Results indicated that adaptive perfectionism was related to higher quality but not originality of solutions. Further, a curvilinear relationship in the shape of an inverted “U” occurred between adaptive perfectionism and four of eight creativity measures. Overall, adaptive perfectionism was consistently, albeit weakly, related to creativity across various types of measures, whereas maladaptive perfectionism was not related to creativity.     

Predictors of children's prosocial lie-telling: Motivation, socialization variables, and moral understanding

Children tell prosocial lies for self- and other-oriented reasons. However, it is unclear how motivational and socialization factors affect their lying. Furthermore, it is unclear whether children’s moral understanding and evaluations of prosocial lie scenarios (including perceptions of vignette characters’ feelings) predict their actual prosocial behaviors. These were explored in two studies. In Study 1, 72 children (36 second graders and 36 fourth graders) participated in a disappointing gift paradigm in either a high-cost condition (lost a good gift for a disappointing one) or a low-cost condition (received a disappointing gift). More children lied in the low-cost condition (94%) than in the high-cost condition (72%), with no age difference. In Study 2, 117 children (42 preschoolers, 41 early elementary school age, and 34 late elementary school age) participated in either a high- or low-cost disappointing gift paradigm and responded to prosocial vignette scenarios. Parents reported on their parenting practices and family emotional expressivity. Again, more children lied in the low-cost condition (68%) than in the high-cost condition (40%); however, there was an age effect among children in the high-cost condition. Preschoolers were less likely than older children to lie when there was a high personal cost. In addition, compared with truth-tellers, prosocial liars had parents who were more authoritative but expressed less positive emotion within the family. Finally, there was an interaction between children’s prosocial lie-telling behavior and their evaluations of the protagonist’s and recipient’s feelings. Findings contribute to understanding the trajectory of children’s prosocial lie-telling, their reasons for telling such lies, and their knowledge about interpersonal communication.     

The impact of associative strength on performance in goal pursuit

The present research explored the hypothesis that strengthened attainment means–goal association leads to enhanced performance in goal pursuit. We hypothesize that because of the instrumental nature of means–goal association, strengthened associative strength leads to greater instrumentality expectancy of the means, which elicits greater motivation in the pursuit and hence better actual performance. We demonstrated in four studies that when the means is believed to facilitate goal attainment, a strong (vs. weak) means–goal association leads to greater performance in goal pursuit. Conversely, when the means is perceived to undermine goal attainment, a strong (vs. weak) association results in worse performance in goal pursuit.