-
Applied Psychology. Health and... Jul 2024Encouraging engagement in rewarding or pleasant activities is one of the most important treatment goals for depression. Mental imagery exercises have been shown to...
Encouraging engagement in rewarding or pleasant activities is one of the most important treatment goals for depression. Mental imagery exercises have been shown to increase the motivation for planned behaviour in the lab but it is unclear whether this is also the case in daily life. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effect of mental imagery exercises on motivation and behaviour in daily life. Participants with depressive symptoms (N = 59) were randomly assigned to a group receiving mental imagery (MI) exercises or a control group receiving relaxation (RE) exercises via study phones. We employed an experience sampling design with 10 assessments per day for 10 days (three days baseline, four days with two exercises per day and three days post-intervention). Data was analysed using t-tests and multilevel linear regression analyses. As predicted, MI exercises enhanced motivation and reward anticipation during the intervention phase compared to RE. However, MI did not enhance active behaviour or strengthen the temporal association from reward anticipation (t-1) to active behaviour (t). Mental imagery exercises can act as a motivational amplifier but its effects on behaviour and real-life reward processes remain to be elucidated.
PubMed: 38957927
DOI: 10.1111/aphw.12572 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024While the career transition of athletes has been explored to several extents, it is often marked by complex psychosocial challenges and requires a redefined sense of...
While the career transition of athletes has been explored to several extents, it is often marked by complex psychosocial challenges and requires a redefined sense of identity and professional purpose. Research to date has predominately focused on the disadvantages or inequity emerging from broad social demographics without delving into specific career transition pathways, such as into higher education settings. This study specifically investigates the unique psychosocial factors underlying the career transition of retired Chinese athletes into higher education. We conducted an interview phase with retired Chinese athletes (Phase 1, = 17) and a Delphi phase with senior human resources (HR) managers from Chinese higher education settings (Phase 2, = 15). This approach allowed us to understand the lived experiences and challenges of these athletes within the Chinese cultural and social context, as well as HR experts' perceptions of their career transitions, respectively. The results unveil crucial psychosocial factors that motivate, and the barriers that challenge, and difficulties retired Chinese athletes in their transition, informing intervention and policy efforts to facilitate their successful integration into higher education.
PubMed: 38957888
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1401575 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024People as individual consumers are regularly targeted in sustainability campaigns or communications with the hope of enhancing sustainable behavior at an individual...
INTRODUCTION
People as individual consumers are regularly targeted in sustainability campaigns or communications with the hope of enhancing sustainable behavior at an individual level, with subsequent sustainability transformation at a larger societal scale. However, psychological motivation is complex and campaigns need to be based on an understanding for what individual, and contextual, factors support or hinder sustainable behavioral choices.
METHODS
In a discrete choice experiment, participants made hypothetical online purchases in each of three rooms designed to evoke associations to , , and goal frames. Participants were shown a campaign message intended to prime sustainable textile consumption prior to the purchase. For each product (t-shirt or bananas) hedonic (comfort/look), gain (price), and normative (organic/ fairtrade) attributes were varied in an online choice experiment.
RESULTS
Preferences for the normative attribute of t-shirts increased in the normative room compared to the room with gain associations. No effect of the rooms with hedonic or gain priming was observed on the choice.
DISCUSSION
The study supports the hypothesis that the physical room can enhance goal frame activation and behavioral choice but concludes that such priming effect is sensitive to specificity of the prime.
PubMed: 38957886
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1354419 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024The development of advanced sewage technologies empowers the industry to produce high-quality recycled water, which greatly influences human's life and health. Thus,...
INTRODUCTION
The development of advanced sewage technologies empowers the industry to produce high-quality recycled water, which greatly influences human's life and health. Thus, this study investigates the mechanism of individuals' adoption of recycled water from the technology adoption perspective.
METHODS
Employing the mixed method of structural equation modeling and artificial neural network analysis, we examined a research model developed from the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) framework. To examine the research model, this study employs a leading web-survey company (Sojump) to collect 308 valid samples from the residents in mainland China.
RESULTS
The structural equation modeling results verified the associations between the six predictors (performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, environmental motivation, and price value), individuals' cognitive and emotional attitudes, and acceptance intention. The artificial neural network analysis validates and complements the structural equation modeling results by unveiling the importance rank of the significant determinants of the acceptance decisions.
DISCUSSION
The study provides theoretical implications for recycled water research and useful insights for practitioners and policymakers to reduce the environmental hazards of water scarcity.
PubMed: 38957883
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1384635 -
Journal of Mathematical Psychology Dec 2023In many decision tasks, we have a set of alternative choices and are faced with the problem of how to use our latent beliefs and preferences about each alternative to...
In many decision tasks, we have a set of alternative choices and are faced with the problem of how to use our latent beliefs and preferences about each alternative to make a single choice. Cognitive and decision models typically presume that beliefs and preferences are distilled to a scalar latent strength for each alternative, but it is also critical to model how people use these latent strengths to choose a single alternative. Most models follow one of two traditions to establish this link. Modern psychophysics and memory researchers make use of signal detection theory, assuming that latent strengths are perturbed by noise, and the highest resulting signal is selected. By contrast, many modern decision theoretic modeling and machine learning approaches use the softmax function (which is based on Luce's choice axiom; Luce, 1959) to give some weight to non-maximal-strength alternatives. Despite the prominence of these two theories of choice, current approaches rarely address the connection between them, and the choice of one or the other appears more motivated by the tradition in the relevant literature than by theoretical or empirical reasons to prefer one theory to the other. The goal of the current work is to revisit this topic by elucidating which of these two models provides a better characterization of latent processes in -alternative decision tasks, with a particular focus on memory tasks. In a set of visual memory experiments, we show that, within the same experimental design, the softmax parameter varies across -alternatives, whereas the parameter of the signal-detection model is stable. Together, our findings indicate that replacing softmax with signal-detection link models would yield more generalizable predictions across changes in task structure. More ambitiously, the invariance of signal detection model parameters across different tasks suggests that the parametric assumptions of these models may be more than just a mathematical convenience, but reflect something real about human decision-making.
PubMed: 38957571
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmp.2023.102805 -
Addiction Neuroscience Jun 2024Opioids produce addictive, analgesic, and euphoric effects via actions at mu opioid receptors (μORs). The μOR is encoded by the gene and is expressed in multiple...
Opioids produce addictive, analgesic, and euphoric effects via actions at mu opioid receptors (μORs). The μOR is encoded by the gene and is expressed in multiple brain regions that regulate reward and motivation, such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc). expression in NAc medium spiny neurons (MSNs) mediates opioid place preference, seeking, and consumption. However, recent single nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) studies have revealed that multiple subpopulations of NAc neurons express mRNA, making it unclear which populations mediate diverse behaviors resulting from μOR activation. Using published snRNA-seq datasets from the rat NAc, we identified a novel population of MSNs that express the highest levels of of any NAc cell type. Here, we show that this population is selectively marked by expression of , a gene encoding a carbohydrate sulfotransferase. Notably, + neurons exhibited more abundant expression of as compared to other cell types, and formed discrete cellular clusters along the medial and ventral borders of the NAc shell subregion. Moreover, mRNA was also found to mark specific MSN populations in published human and primate snRNA-seq studies, indicating that this unique population may be conserved across species. Together, these results identify a spatially and transcriptionally distinct NAc neuron population characterized by the expression of . The abundant expression of in this population and the conservation of these cells across species suggests that they may play a key functional role in opioid response and identify this subpopulation as a target for further investigation.
PubMed: 38957401
DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2024.100153 -
Substance Use & Misuse Jul 2024Prior studies suggest that lower levels of mindfulness contribute to the motivation of using alcohol to cope with distress. Research examining this possibility is...
Prior studies suggest that lower levels of mindfulness contribute to the motivation of using alcohol to cope with distress. Research examining this possibility is scarce or limited to alcohol, but not marijuana, related outcomes. We examined separate models (for alcohol and for marijuana) to determine the associations between trait mindfulness (describing, acting with awareness, non-judging, non-reactivity) and alcohol and marijuana outcomes (use indicators and negative consequences) via emotional psychopathology (i.e., a latent variable assessing symptoms of depression and anxiety) and alcohol/marijuana coping motives. The final analytic sample consisted of 456 participants (Mean age = 22.96 ± 3.12 years; 66.2% women) for the alcohol model; and 232 participants (Mean age = 22.96 ± 3.01 years; 66.2% women) for the marijuana model. Two path models were conducted, such that indirect paths were examined for each trait mindfulness facet on alcohol/marijuana outcomes (e.g., describing → emotional psychopathology → alcohol coping motives → binge drinking frequency). Within the comprehensive alcohol model, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging and non-reactivity were associated with less binge drinking frequency and lower number of alcohol-related negative consequences via lower severity of emotional psychopathology symptoms and lower endorsement of drinking to cope motives. For the marijuana model, describing, acting with awareness, and non-judging of inner experience were associated with less marijuana quantity (grams) consumed and lower number of marijuana-related negative consequences via lower severity of emotional psychopathology symptoms and lower endorsement of marijuana coping motives. Prevention and intervention programs of alcohol and marijuana in Argentina may benefit from improving mindfulness skills and targeting emotional psychopathology and motives to use drugs, to prevent or reduce negative drug-related consequences.
PubMed: 38956825
DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2024.2370026 -
Research Involvement and Engagement Jul 2024Although underserved populations- including those from ethnic minority communities and those living in poverty-have worse health and poorer healthcare experiences, most...
BACKGROUND
Although underserved populations- including those from ethnic minority communities and those living in poverty-have worse health and poorer healthcare experiences, most primary care research does not fairly reflect these groups. Patient and public involvement (PPI) is usually embedded within research studies in the United Kingdom (UK), but often fails to represent underserved populations. This study worked with patient and public contributors and local community leaders, situated in a socio-economically deprived and ethnically diverse urban area, to explore under-representation in primary healthcare research.
METHODS
We undertook a focus group with a purposive sample of 6 members of a Patient and Public Involvement Group (PPIG), and interviews with 4 community leaders (representing Black, South Asian, Roma and socio-economically deprived communities). An iterative analysis process based on template analysis was used. Focus group 1 was rapidly analysed, and a template created. Findings were presented in focus group 2, and the template further developed. The Cultural Trauma concept was than applied to the template to give a wider theoretical lens. In-depth analysis of focus groups and interviews was then performed based on the template.
RESULTS
Wider societal and historical influences have degraded trust in academic and healthcare institutions within underserved populations. Along with more practical considerations, trust underpins personal motivations to engage with research. Researchers need to invest time and resources in prolonged, mutually beneficial engagement with communities of importance to their research, including sharing power and influence over research priorities. Researcher reflexivity regarding differential power and cultural competencies are crucial. Utilising participatory methodologies including co-production demonstrates a commitment to inclusive study design.
CONCLUSIONS
Re-framing evidence-based medicine to be more useful and relevant to underserved populations with the highest burden of ill health is urgently needed. Lack of representation in primary healthcare research reflects wider societal inequalities, to which Cultural Trauma provides a useful lens. However, there are actions that researchers can take to widen representation. This will ultimately help achieve the goal of increased health equity by enhancing scientific rigour and research generalizability.
PubMed: 38956744
DOI: 10.1186/s40900-024-00600-3 -
Journal of Translational Medicine Jul 2024Mesenchymal stem and stromal cells (MSCs) hold potential to treat a broad range of clinical indications, but clinical translation has been limited to date due in part to...
Manufacturing mesenchymal stromal cells in a microcarrier-microbioreactor platform can enhance cell yield and quality attributes: case study for acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Mesenchymal stem and stromal cells (MSCs) hold potential to treat a broad range of clinical indications, but clinical translation has been limited to date due in part to challenges with batch-to-batch reproducibility of potential critical quality attributes (pCQAs) that can predict potency/efficacy. Here, we designed and implemented a microcarrier-microbioreactor approach to cell therapy manufacturing, specific to anchorage-dependent cells such as MSCs. We sought to assess whether increased control of the biochemical and biophysical environment had the potential to create product with consistent presentation and elevated expression of pCQAs relative to established manufacturing approaches in tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) flasks. First, we evaluated total cell yield harvested from dissolvable, gelatin microcarriers within a microbioreactor cassette (Mobius Breez) or a flask control with matched initial cell seeding density and culture duration. Next, we identified 24 genes implicated in a therapeutic role for a specific motivating indication, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); expression of these genes served as our pCQAs for initial in vitro evaluation of product potency. We evaluated mRNA expression for three distinct donors to assess inter-donor repeatability, as well as for one donor in three distinct batches to assess within-donor, inter-batch variability. Finally, we assessed gene expression at the protein level for a subset of the panel to confirm successful translation. Our results indicated that MSCs expanded with this microcarrier-microbioreactor approach exhibited reasonable donor-to-donor repeatability and reliable batch-to-batch reproducibility of pCQAs. Interestingly, the baseline conditions of this microcarrier-microbioreactor approach also significantly improved expression of several key pCQAs at the gene and protein expression levels and reduced total media consumption relative to TCPS culture. This proof-of-concept study illustrates key benefits of this approach to therapeutic cell process development for MSCs and other anchorage-dependent cells that are candidates for cell therapies.
Topics: Mesenchymal Stem Cells; Humans; Respiratory Distress Syndrome; Bioreactors; Gene Expression Regulation; Cell Culture Techniques; RNA, Messenger; Reproducibility of Results
PubMed: 38956643
DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05373-7 -
BMC Medical Education Jul 2024Many health science curricula have integrated behavioral modification techniques in their plans. Motivational Interviewing is one such technique. Educational...
BACKGROUND
Many health science curricula have integrated behavioral modification techniques in their plans. Motivational Interviewing is one such technique. Educational interventions to promote Motivational Interviewing have had limited success. Integrating simulation-based learning in health science curricula might offer a platform whereby students can train in well controlled environments with increased authenticity, provision of standardized experiences and the capacity for immediate feedback to participants. Using motivational interviewing as an exemplar, the purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a simulation-based reflective e-training program on knowledge, attitudes, and confidence in Motivational Interviewing among healthcare practitioners from diverse healthcare disciplines. A secondary aim was to explore whether self-reflection can promote reflective learning.
METHODS
This was a mixed-method study design. Fifteen participants from different health disciplines were included in the quantitative phase of the study, the simulated interview, and the reflective assignments while five participated in the focus group. Pre and post tests were used to examine the effect of training on knowledge, attitudes, and confidence in Motivational Interviewing. Assessment of Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity [MITI] scores in a simulation-based scenario was used. A qualitative content analysis of a focus group provided a more in-depth understanding of the participants experiences. Excerpts from reflective assignments were analyzed using Transformative Learning Theory concepts.
RESULTS
A Wilcoxon test showed that the training elicited a change in confidence in performing Motivational Interviewing [Z= -2.766, p = 0.006], median scores increased from 29 to 34. A quarter of technical scores and half of the relational scores indicated good competence. Participants reflected content transformation through feelings of empowerment and satisfaction when they were successful in engaging and motivating clients. Process transformation was evident in reflections on how to improve core skills specifically reflective listening. Reflections on Motivational Interviewing spirit related values showed premise transformation, which may indicate attitude changes.
CONCLUSION
A simulation-based e-training program on Motivational Interviewing represents an important educational modality for training in the health disciplines. Results of this study provide evidence supporting the integration of reflective simulation-based e-training into the education curricula of health disciplines in MI and beyond.
Topics: Humans; Motivational Interviewing; Pilot Projects; Simulation Training; Female; Male; Health Personnel; Clinical Competence; Curriculum; Adult; Focus Groups; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
PubMed: 38956587
DOI: 10.1186/s12909-024-05711-9