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The relationship between cognitive functions and disinhibition: Observations of cognitively impaired patients

Inhibitory control exhibits a significant correlation with overall cognitive abilities. Past research largely measured disinhibition using experimental protocols, predominantly featuring healthy or youthful participants, or caregiver-supplied information, potentially neglecting an objective assessment of pronounced disinhibition within a naturalistic context. We posit that the observation of prominent disinhibition behaviors across various cognitive assessment tasks provides an objective measurement of innate disinhibition, bypassing the need for participant awareness or concentrated effort toward inhibition. The present study, designed as a secondary analysis of prior research, aims to explore the relationship between cognitive functions and observed disinhibition behavior during cognitive testing in patients exhibiting cognitive impairment symptoms. A retrospective analysis was performed on the records of 224 patients' cognitive tests, including recorded disinhibition behavior, without employing any exclusion criteria. Findings revealed that patients demonstrating at least one instance of disinhibition during testing presented significantly lower overall cognitive functions, excluding long-term memory, than their counterparts without disinhibition. Notably, multiple regression analysis identified comprehension and conceptualization abilities as significant predictors of disinhibition severity. These findings, aligning with earlier research, serve to strengthen the credibility of previous studies on this topic.

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Civic engagement during times of crisis: Personal motivations of Romanian adults at the onset of the war in Ukraine

Crisis situations, such as the still ongoing war in Ukraine, make civic engagement extremely important, especially in Eastern Europe. Eastern European countries not only have extensive borders with Ukraine, but also share a common history as members of the former communist bloc. This part of the world is characterized by low levels of civic engagement, though the proximity of war and the refugee crisis make humanitarian efforts imperative. Therefore, more research is needed to understand personal motivations for civic engagement in Eastern Europe. Employing a mixed-method approach, we tackled the following research questions: (1) What motivated Romanians’ civic engagement in the context of the war in Ukraine? and (2) Are different personal motivations related to online civic engagement differences? The sample included 118 Romanian respondents (Mage = 27.93, SDage = 9.63) who filled in an online survey shortly after the start of the war (March 2022). For the first research question, thematic analysis revealed 2 main themes: Perceived Similarity and General Concern for People. For the second research question, one way-ANOVA results showed that those motivated by perceived similarity with Ukrainians had higher levels of online civic engagement, in comparison with those motivated by general concern for people.

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Do you believe that aliens feel pain? An empirical investigation of mental state attributions

On what basis do we attribute phenomenal states to others? One answer, defended by John Stuart Mill, appeals to an analogy between ourselves and the similar bodies and actions of others (1865, p. 208). Despite its intuitive plausibility, this position is often rejected (Arico et al., 2011; Buckwalter & Phelan, 2014; Knobe & Prinz, 2008). In line with Mill’s account, we propose that the primary factors used when making phenomenal state ascriptions are the appropriate display of functional and behavioral cues and having bodies with the right kind of physical composition. To test this account, we gave five groups of participants a vignette followed by three to six questions. For four of the groups, the vignette described an alien-human encounter and the participants had to judge the likelihood (on a 7-point scale) that the alien had a non-phenomenal state (a belief) and the likelihood that it could have a phenomenal state (pain). The fifth group, as a control, read a vignette about a similar interaction between two humans. We found that, as appropriate functional and behavioral cues and then humanoid features are added to the alien, people are more willing to attribute a phenomenal state to it. Attributions of the non-phenomenal state are primarily dependent on the appropriate functional and behavioral cues, not on having humanoid features.

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The potential role of executive functions in prediction of psychological outcomes and cognitive performance among Thai teachers during the Covid-19 pandemic

Brain executive functions (EFs) play a key role in both positive and negative impact on human psychological outcomes. This present study investigated the potential effects of executive impairment (EI) on stress, burnout, well-being, and working memory among teachers during Covid-19 pandemic. We recruited 448 male and female teachers from eastern regions of Thailand using multistage sampling technique. Data were collected at schools with research instruments, including Teacher Primarily Data Questionnaire, Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-Being, Suanprung Stress Test-20 (SPST-20), Maslach Burnout Inventory for Educators (MBI-ES), Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A), and Letter Number Sequencing (LNS). Statistical analyses were performed with descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation, and structural equation analysis (SEM). Results showed that dysfunctions in EFs could predict stress (21.9%). EI and stress could predict burnout (44.8%). EI with stress and burnout could predict working memory (11.9%) and well-being (48.7%). Problems related to EFs showed the direct effect on stress, burnout, working memory, and well-being at the statistical level (p < .001) with the direct effects of .47, .23, -.38, and -.30, respectively. Furthermore, problems related to EFs showed the indirect effect on burnout, working memory, and well-being at the statistical level (p < .001) with the indirect effects of .24, -.24, and .12, respectively. Therefore, EFs could predict psychological outcomes and cognitive performance, for example working memory. In conclusion, EFs play the key role in psychological and behavioral management during the pandemic. This data can be used for planning and designing the effective EFs training program to subsequently promote psychological outcomes and cognition among teachers.

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The leader’s other-oriented perfectionism, followers’ job stress and workplace well-being in the context of multiple team membership: The moderator role of pressure to be performant

Nowadays, perfectionism in organizations is a popular topic in the scientific literature (Ocampo, Wang, Kiazad, Restubog, & Ashkanasy, 2020; Saklofske, Di Fabio, Svicher, & Smith, 2023; Steinert, Heim, & Leichsenring, 2021). Building on the research on the topic of perfectionism at individual level, the present study investigates how the leader’s other-oriented perfectionism influences followers’ workplace well-being and their job stress, and how the pressure to be performant moderates these relationships in the context of multiple team membership. In order to test the four proposed hypotheses, a quantitative predictive correlational research design was used. Our sample consisted of 155 Romanian employees. Our results indicate that the leader’s other-oriented perfectionism was not related to followers’ job stress. Surprisingly, this form of perfectionism positively related to followers’ workplace well-being. In addition, the pressure to be performant did not moderate the relationship between the leader’s other-oriented perfectionism, on one hand, and job stress and workplace well-being, on the other hand. These findings extend the literature on others-oriented perfectionism and well-being in the context of multiple team membership.

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Components of the university learning environment, academic burnout, and shame among pre-service teachers: A structural equation modelling approach

Previous studies have investigated the connections between university learning environments and academic burnout, as well as between university learning environments and academic shame among students. Also, burnout and shame are related. However, no empirical studies have been conducted to determine the relationships between the university environment, academic shame, and academic burnout among pre-service teachers. To examine this issue, the present study assessed a hypothesized model examining the relationship between the university environment and academic burnout through academic shame as a mediator among pre-service teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, 700 pre-service teachers (114 males and 586 females from the Faculty of Education at Helwan University) were randomly selected for an invitation to complete a questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS to develop operating descriptive results. Confirmatory factor analysis was adopted to ensure the construct validity of the instruments used. AMOS software was used to validate the structural equation model (SEM) created using maximum likelihood estimation. The resulting model had a good fit to the data, according to the SEM analysis. The significant standard coefficients of the drawn paths indicated that components of the university environment directly and negatively predicted academic burnout and its components. Also, academic shame directly and positively predicted academic burnout and its components during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the components of the university environment had an indirect effect on academic burnout and its components through the mediation of academic shame during the COVID-19 pandemic. The implications are considered, and recommendations are proposed for future research.

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