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Awareness and goal setting with the traumatically brain injured.

One of the most disabling effects of traumatic brain injury is limited awareness of cognitive, emotional and interpersonal functioning. For this reason it is often difficult for a traumatically brain-injured person to form realistic goals and appreciate the need for rehabilitation. A goal-setting process is outlined in which therapists play a supportive but nondirective role and goals are developed which incorporate information in self-awareness. The aim of this approach is to create goals which are realistic and increase the likelihood of maintenance following treatment. Specific strategies to incorporate patient awareness during goal setting are discussed.

Awareness↗

Goal specificity and knowledge acquisition in statistics problem solving: evidence for attentional focus.

Solving training problems with nonspecific goals (NG; i.e., solving for all possible unknown values) often results in better transfer than solving training problems with standard goals (SG; i.e., solving for one particular unknown value). In this study, we evaluated an attentional focus explanation of the goal specificity effect. According to the attentional focus view, solving NG problems causes attention to be directed to local relations among successive problem states, whereas solving SG problems causes attention to be directed to relations between the various problem states and the goal state. Attention to the former is thought to enhance structural knowledge about the problem domain and thus promote transfer. Results supported this view because structurally different transfer problems were solved faster following NG training than following SG training. Moreover, structural knowledge representations revealed more links depicting local relations following NG training and more links to the training goal following SG training. As predicted, these effects were obtained only by domain novices.

Attention↗

The effects of readers' goals on inference generation and memory for texts.

We investigated the effects of readers' goals on inference generation and memory for expository text. College students (N = 82) read texts for the purpose of either study or entertainment. On-line inference generation was recorded via think-aloud procedures, and off-line memory was assessed via free recall. Reading goal strongly influenced inferential activity: Readers with a study goal produced more coherence-building (i.e., backward/explanatory and forward/predictive) inferences, whereas readers with an entertainment goal produced more associations and evaluations. These differences were associated with superior memory for the texts in the study condition. The results indicate that inference generation during reading is partly strategic and is influenced systematically by reading purpose. We propose that reading goals influence readers' standards of coherence, which in turn influence the types of inferences that they draw and the final memory representations that they construct.

Adult↗

Senior nursing students' self-reported college experiences and gains toward liberal education goals.

The purpose of this descriptive study is to assess baccalaureate nursing students' self-reported achievements toward liberal education goals in college and university settings and compare them to norms for the general college population by measuring their perceived involvement in campus life and activities. At the end of the spring semester, senior nursing students from 11 nursing programs in the Midwest filled out the College Student Experience Questionnaire, developed by Pace (1984), which measures the effort students put into liberal education goals. Nursing students reported high involvement in academic activities, but little involvement in other types of experiences in the college; they reported significant progress toward academic goals like intellectual skills, but less progress toward liberal education goals like art, literature, and music. Nursing students were very similar to other college students (except for students in selective liberal arts colleges) in reported involvement in activities and made similar progress toward liberal education goals.

Achievement↗

Instruction in mastery goal orientation: developing problem solving and persistence for clinical settings.

Individuals with a mastery orientation are more motivated to persist and increase their competence. Although studies have demonstrated the usefulness of explicitly teaching mastery goal orientation, no interventions have been used in nursing education. The purpose of this study was to determine whether mastery goal orientation could be rapidly acquired by nursing students via a short-term educational intervention. Nursing students from five programs participated in a 3-week intervention. Participants were matched by demographic profile and pretest goal orientation scores before being randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Goal orientation was measured before and after the intervention. Students in the experimental group increased their mastery orientation significantly, while reducing their performance orientation somewhat. They persisted to solve problems, while students in the control group gave up more easily when faced with a difficult task. Early development of mastery goal orientation that promotes problem solving and persistence for clinical settings can be a powerful adjunct to undergraduate nursing education.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

The effects of collaborative goal-focused occupational therapy on self-care skills: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: This pilot study examined collaborative, goal-focused therapy to determine its effects on performance of self-care activities, including eating, grooming, bathing, upper body dressing, lower-body dressing, and toileting. METHOD: Thirty-one patients at a rehabilitation hospital, divided between control and experimental groups, comprised the sample. Participants' performances on self-care activities were measured using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) at admission to therapy and again at a 2-week follow-up. Attainment of goals was not emphasized in the control group. In the experimental group, new goals and achievement of previously set goals were regularly discussed and documented. Comparisons were made between 2-week FIM scores of the control and experimental groups, and data were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: The experimental group demonstrated greater gains on FIM scores when compared to the control group on all self-care activities, but only upper-body dressing met levels of statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Findings support the efficacy of collaborative, goal-focused occupational therapy in the treatment of deficits in upper-body dressing, but did not support this approach with toileting, eating, grooming, bathing, and lower-body dressing. Further study, with a larger sample, is recommended.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Examination of the Perceived Efficacy and Goal Setting System (PEGS) with children with disabilities, their parents, and teachers.

The Perceived Efficacy and Goal Setting System (PEGS) is an instrument and a process that enables children with disabilities to reflect on their ability to perform everyday occupations and to identify goals for occupational therapy intervention. In this study, 117 children with disabilities in grades 1-3 completed the PEGS with occupational therapists who work in school settings. Children from 6-9 years of age with a variety of disabilities were able to self-report perceptions of their effectiveness performing 24 activities that would be expected of them each day. Parents and teachers, who completed a parallel questionnaire, rated their abilities lower than the children did. The School Function Assessment, a measure of the amount and type of support required for school participation, had low correlations with the Parent and Teacher PEGS questionnaires and did not correlate with the Child PEGS. No differences in perceived efficacy were found for children across grades or gender; however, differences were found across types of disabilities. Children were able to use the perceived efficacy information to identify and prioritize goals for intervention and these goals remained stable 2 weeks later. Occupational therapists can use the PEGS within a client-centered practice to help the child set goals for therapy and to incorporate explicitly the perspectives of parents and teachers.

Child↗

[Goal-oriented outcome measurement in inpatient or day care orthopedic-rheumatologic rehabilitation of patients with back pain].

The comparison of patient characteristics and effectiveness of inpatient rehabilitation (IPR) and outpatient rehabilitation (OPR) is of growing importance in terms of flexible and cost-effective structures in rehabilitation. The effectiveness of the treatment is measured applying a goaloriented approach based on the individual rehabilitation goals and the attainment of these goals at the end of the programme. The frequencies of rehabilitation goals chosen by patients in IPR and OPR are similar. Decrease of pain, improvement of muscular strength and improvement of the range of motion are the main goals of patients in IPR and OPR (92-56%). No relevant differences can be seen considering the effectiveness of IPR and OPR, except for the markedly higher improvement of vitality in IPR. Patients in need of rehabilitation whose primary rehabilitation goal is improvement of vitality should therefore preferentially be referred to an inpatient rehabilitation programme.

Adult↗

The psychological trade-offs of goal investment.

The primary goal of this research was to investigate the possibility that being very invested in goals has psychological trade-offs. Self-report methods were used in a concurrent study with college students (Study 1) and a longitudinal study with elementary school children (Study 2). The results of both studies provided support for the hypothesis that high goal investment has psychological trade-offs. Such investment was associated with positive emotions as well as with worrying, both concurrently and longitudinally. In addition, evidence for mediational mechanisms was provided: Perceptions of accomplishment accounted for the relation between goal investment and positive emotions; the link between goal investment and worrying was mediated by predictions that failure would be upsetting. The implications of these findings for distinguishing between depressive and anxiety symptoms are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Writing patient-centered functional goals.

Motor learning research, health care policies, reimbursement practices, and the standards of accrediting bodies all support writing patient-centered functional goals of physical therapy. This article defines patient-centered functional goals within the context of the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice and provides a rationale for incorporating functional goals into physical therapy for patients in all areas of practice. The article also describes how physical therapists can collaborate with patients to identify functional goals that are meaningful to them and describes a 5-step process for writing functional goals that are measurable.

Goals↗

Self-concordance, goal attainment, and the pursuit of happiness: can there be an upward spiral?

Two studies used the self-concordance model of healthy goal striving (K. M. Sheldon & A. J. Elliot, 1999) to examine the motivational processes by which people can increase their level of well-being during a period of time and then maintain the gain or perhaps increase it even further during the next period of time. In Study 1, entering freshmen with self-concordant motivation better attained their 1st-semester goals, which in turn predicted increased adjustment and greater self-concordance for the next semester's goals. Increased self-concordance in turn predicted even better goal attainment during the 2nd semester, which led to further increases in adjustment and to higher levels of ego development by the end of the year. Study 2 replicated the basic model in a 2-week study of short-term goals set in the laboratory. Limits of the model and implications for the question of how (and whether) happiness may be increased are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Academic goals, achievement, and age at first sexual intercourse: longitudinal, bidirectional influences.

This study examined bidirectional relationships between age at first sexual intercourse and academic goals and achievement. It was hypothesized that lower educational goals and achievement would be associated with initiating sexual intercourse at a younger age, and that initiating sexual activity early would be associated with a decrease in subsequent academic achievement and goals. In longitudinal data spanning 11 years, evidence was found for bidirectional effects. One interpretation of these results is that adolescents with high educational goals and achievement delay having intercourse because of the perceived risks (e.g., pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases may jeopardize their plans for the future). Conversely, adolescents who engage in sexual intercourse at young ages might undergo a change in attitudes, including reduced interest in academic achievement and goals. The specific educational variables most strongly related to adolescent sexual intercourse in this study differed substantially by race and gender.

Achievement↗

Setting performance goals and evaluating total analytical error for diagnostic assays.

BACKGROUND: Total analytical error has been a useful metric both to assess laboratory assay quality and to set goals. It is often estimated by combining imprecision (SD) and average bias in the equation: total analytical error = bias + 1.65 x imprecision. This indirect estimation model (referred to as the simple combination model) leads to different estimates of total analytical error than that of a direct estimation method (referred to as the distribution-of-differences method) or of simulation. METHODS: A review of the literature was undertaken to reconcile the different estimation approaches. RESULTS: The simple combination model can underestimate total analytical error by neglecting random interference bias and by not properly treating other error sources such as linear drift and outliers. A simulation method to estimate total analytical error is outlined, based on the estimation and combination of total analytical error source distributions. Goals for each total analytical error source can be established by allocation of the total analytical error goal. Typically, the allocation is cost-based and uses the probability of combinations of error sources. The distribution-of-differences method, simple combination model, and simulation method to evaluate total analytical error are compared. Outlier results can profoundly influence quality, but their rates are seldom reported. CONCLUSIONS: Total analytical error should be estimated either directly by the distribution-of-differences method or by simulation. A systems engineering approach that uses allocation of the total analytical error goal into error source goals provides a cost-effective approach to meeting total analytical error. Because outliers can cause serious laboratory error, the inclusion of outlier rate estimates from large studies (e.g., those conducted by manufacturers) would be helpful in assessing assay quality.

Clinical Laboratory Techniques↗

Attaining personal goals: self-concordance plus implementation intentions equals success.

The present article includes separate meta-analyses showing that self-concordance and implementation intentions are significantly positively associated with goal progress. Study 1 confirmed the positive relations of both self-concordance and implementation intentions to weekend goal progress. Study 2 confirmed the positive relation of self-concordance with monthly progress on New Year's resolutions but failed to find a direct benefit for implementation intentions. Both studies, however, obtained a significant interaction effect indicating that goal self-concordance and implementation intentions combined synergistically to facilitate goal progress. The article also reports a meta-analysis and results from the 2 studies that demonstrated that goal progress was associated with improved affect over time.

Achievement↗

Leading us not unto temptation: momentary allurements elicit overriding goal activation.

The present research explored the nature of automatic associations formed between short-term motives (temptations) and the overriding goals with which they interfere. Five experimental studies, encompassing several self-regulatory domains, found that temptations tend to activate such higher priority goals, whereas the latter tend to inhibit the temptations. These activation patterns occurred outside of participants' conscious awareness and did not appear to tax their mental resources. Moreover, they varied as a function of subjective goal importance and were more pronounced for successful versus unsuccessful self-regulators in a given domain. Finally, priming by temptation stimuli was found not only to influence the activation of overriding goals but also to affect goal-congruent behavioral choices.

Choice Behavior↗

Dietary change: prescription vs. goal setting.

This investigation assessed the effectiveness of two teaching strategies, dietary prescription (Diet-Directed [D-D]) and individual goal setting (Self-Directed [S-D]), on compliance with the U.S. Dietary Goals and Guidelines. College women, 18 to 30 years old, enrolled in a one-credit course that met for 1 hour and 15 minutes weekly for 10 weeks to learn the principles and application of the U.S. Dietary Goals and Guidelines. The D-D group received a prescribed diet; the S-D group learned goal-setting skills; and a Control group received no treatment. Caloric, total fat, and polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) intake decreased significantly in both treatment groups. The D-D group reduced caloric, fat, and PUFA intake by week 5 and maintained those changes for the remainder of the experiment. The S-D group decreased caloric intake by the eighth week and decreased fat and PUFA intake between weeks 5 and 8. Those changes, however, were not maintained for the duration of the experiment. The results demonstrate that the study population made dietary changes in the direction of the U.S. Dietary Goals and Guidelines. Further investigations are required to assess the effectiveness of various teaching strategies on long-term dietary compliance.

Adolescent↗

Goal Attainment Scaling. Relevance and replicability in follow-up of inpatients.

First proposed by Kiresuk in 1968, Goal Attainment Scaling has been widely and enthusiastically accepted as an evaluation tool in service delivery and education. However, it has not been much used in controlled research, probably because its reliability and validity have been questioned by critics. The authors have used Goal Attainment Scaling as one of a number of outcome measures in a research project on the effect of family intervention on inpatients. In the course of doing so, they have developed guidelines for gathering information, constructing goal scales, selecting expected outcome levels, and categorizing subsequent outcome data. They believe that these guidelines have clinical integrity and that their use would improve the reliability of goal attainment scaling without detracting from its value as an individualized measure. With these modifications, Goal Attainment Scaling can be made more systematic and therefore more reliable without losing its intrinsic value as an individually targeted outcome measure.

Adult↗

Identification of core educational goals and related outcome measures for development of assessment programs in selected schools of allied health.

The purpose of this study was to determine important core educational goals and valid, feasible outcome measures to assess the goals in schools of allied health in academic health centers. The study also attempted to identify potential problems associated with using these outcome measures. The population included all allied health deans in public academic health centers accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Questionnaires with Likert scales were designed to gather opinions utilizing the Delphi technique. Deans identified 13 important core educational goals and 84 outcome measures they perceived to be both valid and feasible to assess these goals. Outcome measures that require collection of highly objective data obtained from student or university records were considered most valid and feasible. Problems included inconsistency in definitions of outcomes, lack of appropriate methodology, and costs associated with developing instruments and collecting data. The results of this study indicate that there are a number of common educational goals and valid feasible outcome measures that schools can select to fit their unique needs, but potential problems must be addressed to ensure full and fair representation of the school's performance.

Accreditation↗