-
International Journal of Exercise... 2024Coach leadership style has long been positively correlated with athlete experiences such as motivation, health (i.e., burnout), and performance outcomes (i.e., enhanced...
Coach leadership style has long been positively correlated with athlete experiences such as motivation, health (i.e., burnout), and performance outcomes (i.e., enhanced execution time to complete tasks) (24). More recently, grit (18) has been positively correlated with athlete experiences such as engagement (39) and decreased burnout (32). Given the impact coaches have on their athletes and the positive psychological benefits of grit, it is reasonable to explore the intersections of coaching behaviors and grit. As such, the purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between athlete perceptions of coach leadership behaviors and athlete grit. Intercollegiate athletes completed measures of grit and the leadership behaviors of their coach. A significant positive relationship was observed between the grit perseverance subscale and the leadership behavior of training and instruction ( =.30, < .05). Additional analyses revealed that athletes' perceptions of coach positive feedback significantly predicted their perseverance. Taken together, these findings suggest a link between positive coach feedback and athlete perseverance. Implications of these results for professional practice and future research are discussed.
PubMed: 38665138
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal of Cancer Education : the... Apr 2024Children's early awareness about cancer, through exposure to cancer biology and prevention strategies and research principles, is a promising focus of education and...
Children's early awareness about cancer, through exposure to cancer biology and prevention strategies and research principles, is a promising focus of education and learning. It may also benefit the pipeline of people entering into science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. We describe an educational pilot program for elementary school students, using developmentally appropriate activities focused on cancer at a museum dedicated to children's maker-centered learning and STEM. The program was implemented through a public school in Washington, DC serving students underrepresented in STEM. Program conceptualization, museum and school engagement, and maker learning pedagogy are described, as well as curricular outcomes. A total of N = 111 students (44% female, 75% Black/African American, 5% Latine) participated in a day-long field trip. Museum educators, assisted by cancer center researchers, led a multipart workshop on cancer and the environment and hands-on rotation of activities in microbiology, immunology, and ultraviolet radiation safety; students then completed self-report evaluations. Results indicate that nearly all (> 95%) students practiced activities typical of a STEM professional at the program, and > 70% correctly answered factual questions about topics studied. Importantly, 87-94% demonstrated clear STEM interest, a sense of belonging in the field, and practice implementing skills for success in STEM (e.g., perseverance, imagination, teamwork). This pilot demonstrated acceptability and feasibility in delivering a cancer-focused curriculum to underserved elementary students using maker learning while favorably impacting key objectives. Future scale-up of this program is warranted, with the potential to increase students' motivation to engage in STEM and cancer research.
PubMed: 38658518
DOI: 10.1007/s13187-024-02445-6 -
Astrobiology May 2024NASA's Perseverance and ESA's Rosalind Franklin rovers have the scientific goal of searching for evidence of ancient life on Mars. Geochemical biosignatures that form...
NASA's Perseverance and ESA's Rosalind Franklin rovers have the scientific goal of searching for evidence of ancient life on Mars. Geochemical biosignatures that form because of microbe-mineral interactions could play a key role in achieving this, as they can be preserved for millions of years on Earth, and the same could be true for Mars. Previous laboratory experiments have explored the formation of biosignatures under closed systems, but these do not represent the open systems that are found in natural martian environments, such as channels and lakes. In this study, we have conducted environmental simulation experiments using a global regolith simulant (OUCM-1), a thermochemically modelled groundwater, and an anaerobic microbial community to explore the formation of geochemical biosignatures within plausible open and closed systems on Mars. This initial investigation showed differences in the diversity of the microbial community developed after 28 days. In an open-system simulation (flow-through experiment), the acetogenic (49% relative abundance) and the sulfate reducer (43% relative abundance) were the dominant genera. Whereas in the batch experiment, the sulfate reducers and (95% relative abundance in total) were dominant. We also found evidence of enhanced mineral dissolution within the flow-through experiment, but there was little evidence of secondary deposits in the presence of biota. In contrast, SiO and Fe deposits formed within the batch experiment with biota but not under abiotic conditions. The results from these initial experiments indicate that different geochemical biosignatures can be generated between open and closed systems, and therefore, biosignature formation in open systems warrants further investigation.
Topics: Mars; Extraterrestrial Environment; Exobiology; Groundwater
PubMed: 38648554
DOI: 10.1089/ast.2023.0013 -
Psychological Reports Apr 2024Grit, characterized by passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals, may be associated with enhanced quality of life and reduced levels of perceived...
Grit, characterized by passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals, may be associated with enhanced quality of life and reduced levels of perceived chronic stress. We hypothesized that reduced levels of perceived stress may mediate the association between facets of grit (i.e., Perseverance and Consistency) and healthy functioning. We conducted two studies, one with college students and one with community adults, to test this hypothesis (cumulative = 600). In both studies, facets of grit were assessed using the Short Grit Scale, levels of perceived chronic stress were assessed via the Perceived Stress Scale, and health-related quality of life was measured using selected questions from the Medical Outcome Study Short Form-36. Consistent with our hypothesis, perceived stress levels significantly mediated the relation between Grit-Perseverance and health-related quality of life in both college students and community adults. Our data suggest that individuals with high Grit-Perseverance experience lower perceived stress, which may result in improved health-related quality of life. Additionally, perceived stress partially mediated the relation between Grit-Consistency and health-related quality of life, but only in community adults. These novel findings suggest that the association between Grit-Perseverance and perceived chronic stress may differ for college students and community adults. Overall, our work indicates that perceived stress may be a key mediator through which facets of grit are related to healthy functioning in college students and community adults.
PubMed: 38637012
DOI: 10.1177/00332941241248607 -
Nature Human Behaviour Apr 2024When striking a balance between commitment to a goal and flexibility in the face of better options, people often demonstrate strong goal perseveration. Here, using...
When striking a balance between commitment to a goal and flexibility in the face of better options, people often demonstrate strong goal perseveration. Here, using functional MRI (n = 30) and lesion patient (n = 26) studies, we argue that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) drives goal commitment linked to changes in goal-directed selective attention. Participants performed an incremental goal pursuit task involving sequential decisions between persisting with a goal versus abandoning progress for better alternative options. Individuals with stronger goal perseveration showed higher goal-directed attention in an interleaved attention task. Increasing goal-directed attention also affected abandonment decisions: while pursuing a goal, people lost their sensitivity to valuable alternative goals while remaining more sensitive to changes in the current goal. In a healthy population, individual differences in both commitment biases and goal-oriented attention were predicted by baseline goal-related activity in the vmPFC. Among lesion patients, vmPFC damage reduced goal commitment, leading to a performance benefit.
PubMed: 38632389
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01844-5 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024In recent years, research in educational contexts has pointed to the role of grit as a variable related to various positive outcomes, including life satisfaction....
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, research in educational contexts has pointed to the role of grit as a variable related to various positive outcomes, including life satisfaction. Academic adaptation seems vital for the success of academic life in college students. Considering university as an important life context for people pursuing higher education, what is the mediating effect of academic adaptation? This study proposed a mediation model to examine the mediating effect of academic adaptation in the relationship grit and life satisfaction.
METHODS
A sample of 413 undergraduate Brazilian students, age ranging from 18 to 71 years ( = 27.30; SD = 10.20). A correlation analysis was performed between the variables and the following mediation model was tested: Grit (independent variable), academic adaptation (mediating variables) and life satisfaction (dependent variables).
RESULTS
Mediation analysis indicated that academic adaptation mediated around 46.80% for the factor of consistency of interests and 40.90% of the relationship with perseverance of effort. Thus, the greater the grit of the university student, the greater the grit, which leads to better satisfaction with life.
DISCUSSION
In recent years, research in educational contexts has pointed to the role of grit as a variable related to various positive outcomes. The findings elucidated that grit in academic context could benefit students' adaptation process, and the university's responsibility to improve its students' softskills, not only for the future stage after university, but also during the student's schooling.
PubMed: 38629047
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1331259 -
Substance Use : Research and Treatment 2024Residential treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs) is effective at reducing substance use, dependence, and other related problems. However, dropout from treatment...
Residential treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs) is effective at reducing substance use, dependence, and other related problems. However, dropout from treatment against medical advice (AMA) is common in residential treatment settings. Studies have shown that impulsivity is associated with substance misuse and treatment dropout in predominately male samples, but less is known regarding whether impulsivity dimensions predict treatment dropout among women. This study examined impulsivity dimensions (ie, negative urgency, positive urgency, lack of perseverance, lack of premeditation, and sensation seeking) as predictors of dropout AMA among women in a residential substance use treatment facility (N = 229). Logistic regression results demonstrated that elevations in lack of perseverance and sensation seeking were associated with an increased odds of treatment dropout AMA and that lack of premeditation was associated with a odds of treatment dropout AMA. Study findings suggest that early evidence-based interventions for sensation seeking and lack of perseverance may improve retention of women in residential treatment.
PubMed: 38628873
DOI: 10.1177/29768357241245827 -
Clinical Biomechanics (Bristol, Avon) May 2024Instrumented measurements of postural control provide a more accurate insight into the motor development of children with autism. This study aimed to identify postural...
BACKGROUND
Instrumented measurements of postural control provide a more accurate insight into the motor development of children with autism. This study aimed to identify postural control deficits in autistic children during quiet standing before and after transient locomotor task. It was hypothesized that the parameters that characterize the trajectory of center of foot pressure (COP) displacement would be higher in autistic children compared to typically developing children.
METHODS
Sixteen autistic children aged 6-10 but without a comorbidity diagnosis, were enrolled in the study group. The control group comprised 16 typically developing peers. The assessment of the transitional task comprised four different conditions: unperturbed and perturbed transition, stepping up, and stepping down tasks. Analysis of the COP signal was carried out for three distinct phases, i.e., phase 1 - quiet standing before step initiation, phase 2 - transit, and phase 3 - quiet standing until measurement completion.
FINDINGS
The two-way ANOVA with a 2 × 4 factorial design (group × testing condition) revealed a group effect on all posturographic variables in the antero-posterior and medio-lateral directions of phase 1 and in the antero-posterior direction of phase 3. The Bonferroni post-hoc test showed the means of all those variables were significantly higher for the autistic than for typically developing children. Group allocation also had an effect on the time of transit and step length, which turned out to be significantly longer in autistic children compared to healthy peers.
INTERPRETATION
Autistic children show increased postural sway before and after transitional locomotor tasks compared to typically developing children. The trial was prospectively registered in the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (no. ACTRN12621001113842; date registered: 23.08.2021).
Topics: Humans; Postural Balance; Child; Male; Case-Control Studies; Female; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Locomotion; Posture
PubMed: 38626570
DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2024.106251 -
Appetite Jul 2024Food practices directly or indirectly depend on tradition and the rituals that sustain a commonality of communal purpose. By invoking tradition and embracing accepted...
Food practices directly or indirectly depend on tradition and the rituals that sustain a commonality of communal purpose. By invoking tradition and embracing accepted values through prescribed participation, a transnational and to a certain extent her or his progeny, are anchored to a cultural community. Émigrés must decide from a pastiche of food choices from "here" or from "home," that will mark family and self-identity. This research seeks to assess the multiplicity of issues affecting the food cultural landscape of Gujarati transnationals and their descendants in New Jersey, US. The overall objective is to understand the motivations behind their overt and potentially covert food behaviors. Twenty-seven self-identified Gujarati Indian transnationals and their descendants were recruited through a non-probability sampling in northern New Jersey, US for five focus groups and follow-up individual interviews. Two Foundational Themes were distilled from the data: Collective Borders and Connectivity to Food, as well as four Emotive Themes: Food and Family Dynamics; Performance; Shame, Guilt & Anxiety; and Strength, Perseverance or Flexibility. Food choices enabled this diasporic community to negotiate between the competing forces of continuity and change, providing them with a template to adapt to their new surroundings while preserving native traditions. The arena of food and food choices was used by the participants to strike a pragmatic balance between individuation and collectivity, stability and change, and tradition and modernity. A clear understanding of the issues facing transnationals as they transition into a new country can help with their planning and processes of adjustment, which includes strategies to overcome pitfalls. The findings of this study can also inform the external community about the benefits of welcoming émigrés into their society.
Topics: Humans; New Jersey; Female; Male; Adult; Food Preferences; Focus Groups; Middle Aged; Feeding Behavior; Young Adult; Choice Behavior; Diet
PubMed: 38604380
DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107342 -
School Psychology International Aug 2023There is evidence showing that the triarchic model of grit and its dimensions (i.e., and ) predict engagement and well-being outcomes in high school and undergraduate...
There is evidence showing that the triarchic model of grit and its dimensions (i.e., and ) predict engagement and well-being outcomes in high school and undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. However, there has been limited research on how this model of grit relates to engagement and optimal psychological outcomes in primary school students. This research investigates the association of grit's dimensions with academic engagement in math and science as well as well-being outcomes (i.e., positive emotions, negative emotions, and flourishing) in primary school students. Participants were primary school students ( = 10.42; = 1.26) from Hong Kong (n = 279) and Macau (n = 124). Results showed that positively predicted cognitive and behavioral engagement in math as well as positive emotions even after controlling for demographic covariates (i.e., age, gender, setting, and year level), conscientiousness, and achievement goal orientations. positively predicted cognitive and social engagement in math and flourishing. negatively predicted both cognitive engagement in science and negative emotions. Indeed, this study indicates that and may facilitate children's positive academic and psychological functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
PubMed: 38603326
DOI: 10.1177/01430343221147273