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PubMed1989

Predicting positive goal attainment and symptom reduction from early group climate dimensions.

The general thesis of this paper is that interactional variables are the most promising way to forecast the results of psychological treatment. In particular we believe that perceived group climate dimensions early in group psychotherapy might be valuable predictors. The group atmosphere-climate dimensions, cohesion and relationship, were significant predictors of positive goal attainment and/or symptom reduction (affiliation, involvement-engagement) and so was the subscale, submission-conformity. In addition, the dimensions avoidance and anxiety were negatively correlated with the same outcome indexes. A multiple linear regression analysis suggests, however, that these significant predictions reflect the pretherapy levels of therapy projects-targets and symptoms to be reduced. This study is so promising that group therapy researchers and clinicians are recommended to exploit group climate dimensions to predict outcome.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2001

Goal orientations, self-determination and pupils' discipline in physical education.

In this study, we examined the patterns of goal orientations, perceived competence, reasons for behaving well and self-reported discipline in school physical education among 511 pupils from years 8 and 9 (mean age 14.2 years). Cluster analyses were conducted on two randomly split subsamples to identify homogeneous groups of pupils on these measures of achievement motivation and discipline. Three meaningful clusters emerged for the first subsample, which were then cross-validated for the second subsample. One group of pupils revealed low scores on task and ego orientations, perceived competence and feelings of self-determination about their behaviour in lessons. These perceptions were related to lower ratings of discipline in physical education than pupils who scored more highly on these variables. The highest discipline scores were reported by pupils with high task and ego orientations, perceived competence and feelings of autonomy. The results are useful for teachers and other physical activity leaders in enhancing motivation and disciplined behaviour in young people. Promoting more self-determined reasons for being disciplined, for example, could lead to more orderly classes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Causal relationships of sport and exercise involvement with goal orientations, perceived competence and intrinsic motivation in physical education: a longitudinal study.

Little information exists about the causal relationships of sport and exercise participation with goal orientations, perceived athletic competence and intrinsic motivation in physical education. A longitudinal study was conducted involving 882 Greek students who completed questionnaires on three occasions: 3 - 5 weeks into the academic year, 3 - 6 weeks before the end of the academic year, and 7 months later. The data were analysed using structural equation models, controlling for age. Task orientation and intrinsic motivation in physical education at the beginning of the academic year predicted sport and exercise participation 7 and 14 months later. Perceived athletic competence both at the beginning and end of the academic year predicted sport and exercise participation 7 and 14 months later, while ego orientation did not predict sport and exercise involvement at either time. Previous sport and exercise participation had positive effects on task orientation and perceived athletic competence 3 - 6 weeks before the end of the academic year and predicted all cognitive-affective constructs 7 months later. These results imply that the cultivation of task orientation, intrinsic motivation in physical education and perceived athletic competence will help to promote sport and exercise participation in adolescence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Value orientations: a description of teachers' goals for student learning.

This study examined the extent to which physical educators made consistent decisions regarding goals for student learning within five educational value orientations. The research examined value orientations within hypothetical educational situations as represented by a paper and pencil inventory. Ninety physical educators in three school districts in the midwest completed the Value Orientation Inventory (VOI). Total scores from each value orientation on the VOI were converted to T-scores and used to divide teachers into two groups representing high and low priority categories. Chi-square tests were used to examine the data by gender, teaching level, and teacher's years of experience. Results indicated that 97% of the physical educators made consistent curricular and instructional decisions within one or more of the value orientations. There were no significant differences based on gender, level, or teaching experience.

Attitude↗
PubMed1996

Social loafing and identifiability: the mediating role of achievement goal orientations.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if differences in the tendency to exhibit social loafing is a function of achievement-goal orientation and identifiability. Ninety-six males drawn from 10th-grade physical education classes responded to the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (Duda, 1992) prior to completing a 30-meter sprint task under three separate conditions: as an individual, in a team with individual performance identified, and in a team with individual performance not identified. Following a median split of the task and ego values reported, subjects were divided into high and low groups for both orientations. Sprint times were compared by means of a 2 x 2 x 3 ANOVA (task x ego x sprint condition) with repeated measures on the third factor. Findings revealed that individuals with a combined low task/high ego orientation were significantly slower in the nonidentifiable team condition than in the other two conditions, whereas high-task/low-ego-oriented individuals demonstrated consistent performance across all three conditions. While confirming that identifiability of performance is an important situational variable, the findings suggest that the dispositional factor of achievement orientation may interact to provide a more detailed explanation of the social loafing phenomenon.

Achievement↗
PubMed2003

The learning of goal-directed locomotion: a perception-action perspective.

This study was designed to better understand the process underlying the learning of goal-directed locomotion. Subjects walked on a treadmill in a virtual reality setting and were asked to cross pairs of oscillating doors. The subjects behaviour was examined at the beginning of the learning process (pretest), after 350 trials (intermediate test), and after 700 trials (posttest). The data were analysed at three different levels, each representing a specific aspect of the global response: performance outcome, displacement kinematics, and current arrival condition. While some aspects of performance outcome suggested the presence of a ceiling effect in the intermediate test, both displacement kinematics and current arrival condition clearly highlighted continuous transformations of the control mechanism involved. The learning process is best described as (1) the establishing of a relationship between specific information and a movement parameter and (2) the optimization of this relationship. The optimization process is characterized by the further exploration of the available behavioural repertoire and by the refinement of the dialogue between information and movement.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Glycated hemoglobin assessment in clinical practice: comparison of the A1cNow point-of-care device with central laboratory testing (GOAL A1C Study).

BACKGROUND: The Glycemic Optimization with Algorithms and Labs At Po1nt of Care (GOAL A1C) Study assessed the effect of titration monitoring strategies and methods of A1C testing on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes failing oral therapy and beginning basal insulin glargine. The availability of both point-of-care (POC) and central laboratory A1C values provided an opportunity to evaluate correlation and statistical agreement between these methods of testing. This analysis forms the basis of the current report. METHODS: This is a 24-week, randomized, four-arm, open-label study conducted in 7,758 subjects enrolled at 2,130 sites. At baseline, patients had A1C measurements both by POC testing using the A1cNow device (Metrika, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA), which applies an immunoassay method, and by central laboratory analysis using ion exchange high-performance liquid chromatography. These measures were compared statistically. RESULTS: An r value of 0.72 was calculated for POC and laboratory A1C assessments. Although the mean POC A1C values were in agreement with the central laboratory values, there was a large range in individual POC A1C values. CONCLUSIONS: POC testing of A1C in predominantly primary care settings using the A1cNow device was correlated with central laboratory results. The correlation was less than expected based on each method's reproducibility data. Although there was agreement between the average POC A1C values and the corresponding central laboratory values, the dispersion of individual POC A1C values was large. Thus, we conclude that these two methods of A1C testing should not be used interchangeably.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Dopamine and noradrenaline efflux in the medial prefrontal cortex during serial reversals and extinction of instrumental goal-directed behavior.

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) of the rat supports cognitive flexibility, the ability to spontaneously adapt goal-directed behavior in response to radically changing situational demands. We have shown previously that transient inactivation of the rat medial PFC (mPFC) impairs initial reversal learning in a spatial 2-lever discrimination task. Given the importance of dopamine (DA) for PFC function, we studied DA (and noradrenaline [NA]) efflux in the mPFC during reversal learning. We observed a higher and more extended increase in DA efflux in rats performing the first reversal compared with controls performing the previously acquired discrimination. The results of an additional experiment suggest that such a difference between the reversal- and control-induced DA increases was absent during a third reversal. During the extinction session, DA efflux did not increase from basal levels. Increases in NA efflux were less than in DA and did not differ between control and any condition. We conclude that prefrontal DA activity is increased during execution of instrumental discrimination tasks and that this increase is amplified during the acquisition of a first, but not of later reversals. These data corroborate our previous findings and indicate that DA is critically involved in this form of cognitive flexibility.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Goals and methods of research: the challenge for family medicine.

This article suggests that motivations to engage in research, as in any other human activity, are both explicit and implicit. Explicit motivations tend to be objective and rationalist, concerned with such goals as the advancement and organization of knowledge. But implicit motivations, the 'hidden agendas' of research, also exist and can influence the objectives, methods, and conclusions of the research process. In addition, a highly affectively charged activity such as research also develops its own set of symbolic meanings, which further complicate its various expressions. In this article, three such symbolic meanings are identified: purpose and seriousness; maturity and adulthood; and legitimacy and belonging. The article highlights qualitative research as a methodology compatible with much of family medicine's philosophy and theoretical foundations; and discusses the role of behavioural scientists in participating in a research agenda for the field. The article concludes with a plea for the discipline of family medicine to opt for authenticity in research, rather than settling for a superficial legitimacy in the eyes of other medical specialties.

Family Practice↗
PubMed2003

Goal-directed, serial and synchronous activation of neurons in the primate striatum.

To study roles of cortico-basal ganglia loops in action planning, we examined interactions between the activities of simultaneously recorded neurons in the striatum of monkeys performing sequence motor tasks by cross-correlation analysis. Serial activation occurred between projection neurons in a motor sequence-dependent manner, and was in the direction of a neuron encoding an early event in the sequence to a neuron encoding the same event or later, but closer event to the reward. Synchronous activation occurred between pairs of interneurons. The serial activation seems to originate through the cortico-basal ganglia loops, because projection neurons are inhibitory. We propose that the task-dependent serial and synchronous activation of striate neurons may be a neural substrate for goal-directed planning through the basal ganglia.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Developing a scientific basis for radiation risk estimates: goal of the DOE Low Dose Research Program.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Low Dose Radiation Research Program is a 10 y activity currently funded at $21 million per year. It focuses on biological responses to low doses (<0.1 Gy) of low-LET ionizing radiation. The overall goal of this program is to provide a sound scientific basis for the radiation protection standards. The program supports basic research that combines modern genomic, molecular, and cellular techniques with recent advances in scientific instrumentation. These combinations make it possible to detect responses and test paradigms associated with the mechanisms of low dose radiation action not previously measurable or testable. Research to date is briefly reviewed and suggests the need for some major paradigm shifts. Exposure of the extracellular matrix can modify both the pattern of gene expression and the phenotype of the cells which result in cell transformation without direct mutation. Low dose radiation exposure results in a range of dose-response relationships for changes in the number, types, and patterns of gene expression. Such studies suggest an increased role for gene expression relative to single mutations for radiation induced cancer. Low dose research using microbeams demonstrated that cells do not require a direct "hit" to result in significant biological alterations. These "bystander effects" demonstrate that "non-hit" cells respond with changes in gene expression, DNA repair, chromosome aberrations, mutations, and cell killing. Research to link genomic instability with cancer is also being conducted and will be discussed. Detection of radiosensitivity genes as markers of genetic susceptibility in individuals and populations can be used in epidemiological studies to determine how molecular changes may impact risk. It is not possible to determine how this research will influence current radiation standards. However, the Low Dose Research Program will help ensure that radiation standards are set using the best scientific data available, and that they are adequate and appropriate for the protection of workers and the public.

DNA↗
PubMed2002

Twenty-four hour ambulatory blood pressure in the International Nifedipine GITS Study Intervention as a Goal in Hypertension Treatment (INSIGHT).

OBJECTIVES: The International Nifedipine GITS Study Intervention as a Goal in Hypertension Treatment (INSIGHT) showed, by means of office blood pressure measurements, that long-term treatment with nifedipine GITS is as effective as diuretics in preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications. However, since office blood pressure measurements reflect to a limited extent blood pressure outside the office, a side-arm INSIGHT study in which patients underwent both office measurement and 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was also performed. DESIGN AND METHODS: The study had a randomized, double-blind, parallel group design. After 4 weeks of placebo, mild-to-moderate essential hypertensive patients were randomized to nifedipine GITS 30 mg or amiloride 2.5 + hydrochlorothiazide 5 mg for 3.1 years. Dose titration was performed by dose doubling and addition of atenolol 25-50 mg or enalapril 5-10 mg, or other drugs when needed. Analysis was carried out by intention-to-treat and included computation of 24 h, day and night ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate values. Additional analyses included computation of the trough-to-peak ratio and the smoothness index (the ratio between the average of the 24-hourly blood pressure reductions after treatment and its standard deviation). RESULTS: A total of 151 patients were recruited and 149 were valid for analysis: 78 patients had 24 h ambulatory recordings both at baseline and during treatment and 134 during treatment. Office, 24 h and day and night blood pressures were all significantly and similarly reduced by both treatments. Office and ambulatory heart rate was left unchanged by diuretics, while it was slightly reduced by nifedipine. Median trough-to-peak ratios were always > 0.5 and superimposable between the two treatment groups. Similarly, smoothness indices of systolic and diastolic blood pressures were comparably high for nifedipine and diuretics, thus demonstrating a similar well-balanced antihypertensive response to both drugs. No significant differences were observed between the two treatment groups in the number of cardiovascular events (17 in the nifedipine-based and 26 in the diuretics-based treatment group). CONCLUSIONS: In the INSIGHT study, the long-term antihypertensive effect on 24 h blood pressure and the cardiovascular protection of nifedipine was similar to that of diuretics.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Setting goals for cognitive rehabilitation.

Evidence for experience-dependent plasticity of the brain, including cell regeneration, means that rehabilitation can aim at reinstituting impaired cognitive function, as well as at training compensatory strategies for the lost function. New theoretical frameworks make predictions regarding the circumstances under which these two approaches should each be attempted. There has been progress over the past 6 years in designing effective rehabilitation strategies, with more of these having a strong theoretical basis in cognitive neuroscience. Basic cognitive science has generated counter-intuitive, but effective cognitive rehabilitation methods, showing that the goal of rehabilitation need not always be the most obvious one dictated by real life performance. Limb Activation Training for unilateral neglect is an example of a theoretically derived cognitive rehabilitation procedure that has now been clinically evaluated in clinical trials.

Brain Injuries↗
PubMed2004

Gay and straight possible selves: goals, identity, subjective well-being, and personality development.

This study examined the relations of the salience and elaboration of gay and straight possible selves to subjective well-being (SWB) and ego development (ED) in a sample of 107 gay men and lesbians, who wrote narrative descriptions of their straight and gay best possible selves and rated the salience of these narratives (i.e., the clarity of the mental image, how easy it was to imagine). Independent raters coded the narratives for amount of elaboration (i.e., vivid detail). The salience of the gay possible self was positively related to SWB and outness, while the salience of the straight possible self was negatively related to SWB and being out. Furthermore, the possible self variables mediated the relationship of outness to well-being. Straight self-elaboration predicted personality development concurrently and prospectively, over 2 years. Results are interpreted as indicating that, while happiness may require us to focus upon our current life goals, personality development might require an exploration of the potential sacrifices of identity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Self-directed learning and student selected goals in nurse education.

This paper is a consideration of the philosophy of, and research into, general education. It examines some of the approaches to education and a small part of the research into discovery learning, self-directed study and student-selected goals of learning. Proposals are made for a single module of nurse training for admission to the register of general nurses which incorporate the philosophy and research-based ideals of self-directed learning. Finally, problems which may be anticipated in its implementation are discussed but no firm conclusions are drawn until these can be based on fact rather than conjecture.

Education, Nursing, Diploma Programs↗