Causal Agency Research Articles

“I got to see, and I got to be a part of it”: How cued gesturing facilitates middle‐school students' explanatory modeling of thermal conduction

AbstractConstructing causal mechanistic explanations of observable phenomena is a key science practice that is often challenging for students as most mechanisms involve interactions of unobservable entities and activities. In this study, we examined how gesturing with a computer simulation that depicts the molecular mechanism of thermal conduction supported middle‐school students in constructing causal mechanistic explanations. We designed a gesture‐augmented computer simulation in which students were cued to use hand gestures to control the simulation. These cued gestures represent core causal interactions of conduction and they prompt students to physically engage with the simulation in conceptually meaningful ways. In this study, we examined how 21 students used the simulation and explained thermal conduction in a semi‐structured interview, followed by a mixed‐methods analysis. Quantitative analysis shows that students moved toward articulating the canonical causal mechanistic explanation of thermal conduction using the simulation. Three representative cases were identified to explore how students' explanations were facilitated by cued gestures. The analysis shows two main ways the cued gestures supported all students in the study: (a) by helping them attribute causal agency to molecules rather than an entity called Heat, and (b) by reifying the core mechanism of molecular collisions in conduction. Furthermore, the case studies show how each student's unique ways of sensemaking impacted their gesture use. Implications for instruction with gestures and design of augmented environments are discussed.

No somos nuestros genes: consideraciones en torno a la definición molecular de gen

The molecular concept of gene has been subject, in recent decades, to a constant process of theoretical deconstruction. Despite of the many criticisms received, this concept still exists today as the main work stereotype. The objective of this paper will be to try to evaluate the validity and scope of the molecular concept of gene in light of the current state of biology. In order to do so, the work will be structured in three sections. In the first section the basic characteristics of the molecular concept of gene will be established. These characteristics will be articulated under four basic parameters: 1. Structural definition. 2. Functional definition. 3. Causal agency. 4. Causal specificity. In the second section, a detailed analysis of the structural and functional definition of the molecular concept will be carried out. In the third section, the points concerning agency and causal specificity will be examined. From these considerations two conclusions can be drawn. Firstly, it is necessary to suspend the unrestricted validity of the molecular concept of gene. Secondly, that it is necessary to embrace more open definitions that allow dealing with the inherent complexity of biological phenomena.

As teorias e experimentos em ensaio sobre o fogo

O estudo de fenômenos naturais de interesse social representa um dos objetivos da aprendizagem de ciências na Escola Básica. É de se estranhar, portanto, que o fogo, uma das mais úteis e fascinantes manifestações da Natureza, receba pouca atenção na ciência e quase nenhuma no ensino, como se percebe pela ausência de estudos aprofundados sobre este fenômeno nas coleções didáticas de química aprovadas pelo Programa Nacional do Livro Didático (PNLD 2015). O fogo, no entanto, já foi objeto de estudos da filosofia química no passado. Com o objetivo de resgatar a história do fogo enquanto objeto de estudo da química, neste trabalho propomos uma análise da obra An essay on fire, publicada em 1790 pelo celebrado filósofo de Genebra, Marc-Auguste Pictet. À luz da contemporânea historiografia da ciência, buscamos analisar de que forma as teorias do final do século XVIII explicavam tal fenômeno. Os resultados desta análise revelam aspectos de interesse sobre os modos de pensar dos químicos no contexto estudado. O texto de Pictet deixa claro, por exemplo, que a palavra fogo era empregada para designar não apenas a chama, mas um agente que seria responsável por diversos efeitos na estrutura dos corpos naturais, incluindo as dilatações, mudanças de estado e a própria decomposição química. Descrevendo séries de experimentos, o filósofo analisa o fogo sob quatro pontos de vista: Fogo liberado, calor específico, calor latente e fogo combinado. Todos os experimentos realizados pelo autor são precedidos por considerações teóricas e os resultados experimentais são usados como forma de aceitar ou recusar essas teorias que, muitas vezes, contrapõem concepções corpusculares e vibracionais na interpretação do fogo como o agente causal da sensação denominada calor. Concluímos que o estudo da obra de Pictet nos permite entender algumas características de como a ciência se desenvolve, destacando a importância da comunicação entre pesquisadores, a interdependência entre experimentos e teorias e o convívio com diferentes modelos para representar um fenômeno em estudo.

How Are Self-Determination Components Taught to Improve Reading Outcomes for Elementary Students With or At Risk for Learning Disabilities?

Research findings illustrate the strong connection between self-determined learning and reading performance for students with or at risk for disabilities. Students with or at risk for learning disabilities (LDs), who are at increased risk for academic failure, may benefit from instruction to promote self-determination skills. Causal Agency Theory has driven research on interventions to support the development of self-determination in people with disabilities since the 1990s; however, this work has most often focused on adolescents and young adults. Self-determination skills develop over the lifespan—and targeting the building blocks for these skills in the elementary years can lay a foundation for the development of self-determined learners in reading and beyond. As such, this systematic review sought to investigate to what extent self-determination skills were taught to improve reading outcomes for students with or at risk for LD in kindergarten through fifth grade. Twelve studies met criteria for inclusion; two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 10 single-case design studies. Results indicate self-determination for students with LD at the elementary level is limited; all interventions used a subcomponent related to self-regulation. Goal setting and positive attributions were also investigated but within intervention packages alongside self-regulation. Future researchers should study the effects of interventions that use other self-determination components for this population of students.

Agribusiness and medical base model analysis

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Positivity and quality of college life of business students: The mediating role of learning approaches

Drawing upon the causal agency theory, this study examined the direct and indirect (via learning approaches) links between positivity and quality of college life (QCL) of business students in a transitioning market, Vietnam. Two studies were conducted to test these relationships using structural equation modeling. Findings from study 1, based on a sample of 428 business students, showed that positivity was positively related to QCL. Further, deep learning approaches mediated the relationship between positivity and QCL. Findings from study 2, based on a sample of 416 business students, reconfirmed the role of positivity in QCL. However, the indirect relationship between positivity and QCL was not significant, demonstrating that surface learning approaches did not mediate the relationship between positivity and QCL. The findings contribute to the literature on positivity in higher education by confirming the overarching role that positivity plays, directly and indirectly (via deep learning approaches), in QCL.

Using Causal Agency Theory To Promote Functional And Independent Performance In Adults With Intellectual Disabilities

Research suggests adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) have significantly lower levels of physical activity (PA) and fitness compared to the general population. This can affect their physical functioning and increase risk for obesity. Carefully structured exercise has improved functional performance in adults with ID. Limited exercise interventions for adults with ID emphasize self-determined behaviors, which can facilitate PA and ultimately quality of life among adults with ID. Causal Agency Theory (CAT) explains how people become self-determined; that is how they develop the actions and beliefs necessary to engage in self-caused, autonomous action in response to basic psychological needs and autonomous motivation as well as contextual and environmental challenges. PURPOSE: To examine the effects of a 10-week guided progressive resistance training (PRT) program on functional and independent performance in adults with ID. METHODS: Using a block randomization, 11 participants (25±6yrs) were allocated to a guided group (GG) and 11 (23±8yrs) to a non-guided group (NGG). GG received a PRT intervention in a community-based fitness center that included 3-week familiarization to promote correct and independent performance of exercises and technology-enhanced strategies to promote CAT skills (e.g., goal setting, choice-making). NGG only received the PRT intervention with instruction typically provided by a certified personal trainer. RESULTS: Paired t tests showed that after the 10-week PRT program, only the GG significantly improved (p < .05) correct and independent performance of 4 PRT exercises and scores on Six-Minute Walk Test (SMWT) and Plank Test compared to the NGG. Both groups significantly improved (p < .05) Chest Press 1RM and Leg Press 1RM. After controlling for preintervention differences, ANCOVA found practically and/or statistically significant differences between GG and NGG for postintervention Chest Press 1RM, F(1, 20) = 3.00, p = .100, ηp2 = .14; Leg Press 1RM, F(1, 20) = 7.25, p = .015, ηp2 = .29; SMWT, F(1, 20) = 10.85, p = .000, ηp2 = .38; and Plank Test, F(1, 20) = 3.49 p = .078, ηp2 = .16. CONCLUSION: The guided PRT intervention with its familiarization training and technology-enhanced CAT strategies has the potential to promote functional and independent performance in adults with ID.

Exploring the Impact of Environmental Factors on Scores on the Self-Determination Inventory: Adult Report

A long line of research has established a relationship between self-determination and positive adult outcomes. Findings from such research highlight that it is critical to provide opportunities and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to use skills associated with self-determination (e.g., decision-making, problem-solving, goal setting, and attainment) in environments where they live, work, and learn. However, various environmental factors (e.g., living arrangement, employment status) can be strong indicators of how people with intellectual and developmental disabilities develop and express their self-determination. Recently, the Self-Determination Inventory: Adult Report (SDI:AR) was developed as a technology-based measure of self-determination for adults with and without disabilities ages 18 and over. No studies have investigated how environmental factors influence responses on the SDI:AR, including responses to specific items linked to each of the essential characteristics defined by Causal Agency Theory. Using the SDI:AR validation data, this study examined how environmental factors impacted self-determination of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The findings show specific environmental factors impact overall self-determination for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities as well as responses on SDI:AR items. Consistent with previous research, the present study suggests that certain environmental factors facilitate a greater expression of self-determination in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities while others restrict its expression. Findings from this study could inform environmental supports needed for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to engage in self-determined actions throughout adulthood.

Zen Buddhist and Christian Views of Causality: A Comparative Analysis

This article presents a new approach to Japanese Zen Buddhism, alternative to its traditional views, which lack exact definitions of the relation between the meditator and the Buddha’s ultimate cause, dharma. To this end, I offer a comparative analysis between Zen Buddhist and Christian views of causality from the medieval to early modern periods. Through this, human causation with dharma in the Zen Buddhist meditations can be better defined and understood. Despite differences between religious traditions in deliberating human causal accounts, there are parallel ways of thinking and practicing between Christian and Buddhist meditators. Firstly, I reconstruct three sorts of Christian scholastic theories of creaturely causality: conservationism (realist or active view of our volitional action), occasionalism (passive view), and concurrentism (interactive view). Secondly, Zen Buddhist doctrines are introduced by placing particular emphasis on dharma as causal agency. Focusing on the Japanese Zen practice of meditation (zazen), finally I expound two theories of human causality: Sōtō Zen quasi-occasionalism following Master Dōgen’s teaching of enlightenment (satori), and Rinzai Zen quasi-concurrentism given the meditator’s interactive kōan practice. Hence, my comparative analysis explains why religious beings are causally active, passive, or interactive in relation to the first agency, God or dharma, whereby systematically establishing alternative definitions of human causality in Zen Buddhism.

Mapping the Literature on the Essential Characteristics of Self-Determination

This study represents a map of the literature on the essential characteristics of self-determination (volitional action, agentic action, and action-control beliefs) to (a) identify how these characteristics have been theorized and examined in research with people with and without disabilities prior to and since the introduction of Causal Agency Theory, (b) discern any significant gaps in the knowledge base, and (c) serve as the basis for recommendations to the field for utilizing what is known about the essential characteristics of self-determination and expanding upon it in future research. A systematic search process was used to identify peer-reviewed articles meeting the inclusion criteria. A content analysis of the included articles was conducted. The search process yielded a total of 49 articles. Findings show volitional and agentic action have been consistently defined and described across disciplines, but limited research has addressed action-control beliefs. Gaps in the knowledge base relate to how the essential characteristics collectively relate to and characterize self-determined action and exploration of these characteristics from a life course perspective and when considering disability, diversity, and support needs. Overall, findings suggest the need for future research to examine understandings of self-determination across contexts and populations within the framework of Causal Agency Theory, given the critical importance of self-determination in the lives of people with and without disabilities and the increasing need for unifying theories that promote multidisciplinary work that can be used to create positive outcomes for all people in society across the life course.

A Bayesian psychophysics model of sense of agency

Sense of agency (SoA) refers to the experience or belief that one’s own actions caused an external event. Here we present a model of SoA in the framework of optimal Bayesian cue integration with mutually involved principles, namely reliability of action and outcome sensory signals, their consistency with the causation of the outcome by the action, and the prior belief in causation. We used our Bayesian model to explain the intentional binding effect, which is regarded as a reliable indicator of SoA. Our model explains temporal binding in both self-intended and unintentional actions, suggesting that intentionality is not strictly necessary given high confidence in the action causing the outcome. Our Bayesian model also explains that if the sensory cues are reliable, SoA can emerge even for unintended actions. Our formal model therefore posits a precision-dependent causal agency.

Existential anxiety and religiosity

Analysis of the psychological processes involved in generating the sense of supernatural agency, as well as social scientific research into the factors most directly associated with the prevalence of religious belief and practice (religiosity), both support a common finding: the direct correlation between levels of existential anxiety and the prevalence and intensity of religiosity (religious belief and practice). All functional elements of religion (beliefs, rituals, prayers) involve efforts to invoke, activate, and deploy supernatural causal agency of one sort or another. But religiosity varies throughout the world. This paper reviews psychological evidence that existential anxiety is the core factor activating the intra-psychic mechanisms that give rise to and constitute the nature of religiosity, and that variations in physical and socio-cultural pressures impinging on the individual give rise to variations in anxiety. This combination of intrinsic psychological mechanisms driven though existential anxiety by extrinsic physical, economic, and social pressures indicates that religiosity is best understood as a social–psychological process: socio-cultural factors activating anxiety which in turn drives the intra-psychic mechanisms generating the sense of supernatural agency expressed in belief and practice. By the same token, for analytical purposes, religions are most effectively viewed as social–psychological organisms: social organisms driven by intra-psychic mechanisms that constitute religious convictions and practices in the way that we find them—dedicated to and engaged with supernatural agency in its various forms.

PENGARUH DAYA TARIK WISATA, HOTEL RESTORAN,BIRO PERJALANAN TERHADAP PENYERAPAN TENAGA KERJA DAN PENDAPATAN PERKAPITA

Abstract: The Effect of Tourism Attractions, Hotel Restaurants, Travel Agencies on LaborAbsorption and Per capita Income The purpose of this study is analyze:1) direct effect oftouristattraction,hotel restaurant,travel agency on employment. 2)direct effect oftourist attraction,hotelrestaurant,travel agency and employment on percapita income. 3)indirect effects of touristattraction,hotel restaurant,travel agencyon percapita income through employment. The analysistechnique uses path analysis. Results of the simultaneous direct effecttourist attraction,hotelrestaurant,travel agency on employmentis positive significant effect, and will have positiveimplications for tourism sector employment. The results of the simultaneous direct effect betweentourist attraction,hotel restaurant,travel agency, and employment on income percapita had positivesignificant . The results of this analysis have implications for increasing percapita income in thedistricts / cities of the Province of Bali. The results of indirect effect of tourist attraction,hotelrestaurant,travel agencyon the percapita income through employment with a causal step, Hotelrestaurant and travel agency had a positive significant effect on percapita income.Effect of touristattraction on percapita income through employmenthad positive influence not significant. Keywords: tourist attraction; hotel-restaurant; travel agency; employment; percapita income.

The Assessment of Self-Determination in Spanish and American Adolescents: The Self-Determination Inventory: Student Report.

The purpose of this study was to explore the cross-cultural validity of the Self-Determination Inventory: Student Report, a newly developed measure of self-determination grounded in Causal Agency Theory. The tool was translated to Spanish and administered to American and Spanish adolescents. The sample was structured to include adolescents with and without intellectual disability in both cultural contexts. More than 3,000 students in the U.S. and Spain aged 13 to 22 completed the assessment. Findings suggest that the same set of items can be used across cultural contexts and in youth with and without intellectual disability, although there are some specific differences in item functioning across students with and without intellectual disability in Spain that must be further researched. There were specific patterns of differences in latent self-determination means, with students with intellectual disability scoring lower in the U.S. and Spain. Implications for assessment research and practice in diverse cultural contexts are explored.

Comparing the Impact of Online and Paper-and-Pencil Administration of the Self-Determination Inventory: Student Report

The Self-Determination Inventory: Student Report (SDI: SR) was developed to measure the self-determination of adolescents and was recently validated for students aged 13–22 with and without disabilities across diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds. The SDI: SR is aligned Causal Agency Theory and its theoretical conceptualizations of self-determined action. The validation of the SDI: SR was undertaken in two forms: online, computer-based and paper-and-pencil. The present study examined overall self-determination scores of student participants (with and without disabilities) who took the SDI: SR via the online and paper-and-pencil format to inform future research and practice using the SDI: SR. Findings suggest that the same set of items can be utilized across administration formats, but that there appear to be differences in overall SDI: SR scores when online and paper-and-pencil formats are utilized although these differences are not influenced by disability status. Implications for future research and practice are discussed to provide direction to the field related to assessment development and use of the SDI: SR in educational contexts.

Convergent Validity of the Self-Determination Inventory: Student Report

This study examined the convergent validity of scores on the Self-Determination Inventory: Student Report, a newly developed assessment of self-determination aligned with Causal Agency Theory with related assessments associated with hope theory (Children’s Hope Scale; CHS), self-determination theory (Perceived Choice and Awareness of Self Scale; PCASS, formerly the Self-Determination Scale), and action-control theory (Control and Means-End Interview; CAMI) in adolescents with and without disabilities of varying race/ethnicities. Measurement invariance was established across the groups, but differences in the patterns of correlations across disability and racial/ethnic groups were found. Generally, as hypothesized, the relationships between the assessments were moderate to high, except for the perceived choice subscale of the PCASS. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Housing recovery outcomes after typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines: a critical realist perspective

ABSTRACTTyphoon Haiyan damaged around a million houses in the Philippines in November 2013. It especially affected the poor. Using a realist laminated ontology, this paper explains how multiple causal mechanisms triggered unexpected outcomes in the housing recovery programme in the province of Leyte. The proposed causal mechanisms were: the intentional causal agency of the Filipino power elite; the collaboration–competition dilemma among individual agents and social structures; the constraints faced by the National Housing Authority with regards to procurement and budget; unfreedoms for resilient resettlement; secondary side effects of land and resettlement policies; and the under the table practice of bribery. The combination of these multiple causal mechanisms generated emergent outcomes such as low output of permanent post-disaster housing, generic housing solutions that cannot be extended, reproduction of pre-disaster vulnerabilities, recovery of valuable land by the Filipino elite and allocation of public funding to a limited range of recipients.

Exploring the Relationships among Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction and Frustration, Agentic Engagement, Motivation, and Self-Determination in Adolescents with Disabilities

Researchers have separately explored applications and implications of the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Causal Agency Theory in the school context; however, limited attention has been directed to examining the relations between constructs emerging from SDT (agentic engagement, motivation, and basic needs satisfaction and frustration) and the Causal Agency Theory (self-determination and its essential characteristics—volitional action, agentic action, and action-control beliefs), as well as the use of measures developed to assess these constructs in adolescents with disabilities. We examined the reliability of measures emerging from both theories in adolescents with disabilities, and explored the pattern of means, correlations, and predictive relations among the constructs. We found adequate reliability, and unique patterns of correlations and predictive relationships among the constructs. Adolescents with disabilities showed higher levels of need satisfaction than frustration, as well as moderately high levels of self-determination and agentic engagement, consistent with other research with students with and without disabilities. The findings highlight the role of constructs from positive psychology in the lives of students with and without disabilities and the need for more research that includes students with disabilities and explores their experiences alongside their peers without disabilities in developing causal agency.

Creative Genius as Causal Agent in History: William James's 1880 Theory Revisited and Revitalized

Near the onset of his illustrious career, the psychologist William James proposed a theory of how individual genius can exert a unique and enduring causal impact on the history of civilization. After first attacking the prevailing view that sociocultural determinism rendered individual creators and leaders mere epiphenomena, James argued that the causal effect of the genius paralleled that of the spontaneous variation or mutation in the theory of evolution by natural selection. Although his specific arguments suffer severe problems even from the standpoint of his own theory, current psychological research on creativity and genius indicate how his basic thesis can be revised and updated with respect to creative genius. This revision and updating concentrates specifically on what is known about the behavioral productivity, thinking processes and procedures, personality characteristics, and early developmental experiences in highly creative individuals. These modern enhancements then lead to the integrated discussion of Jamesian free will and the causal agency of the creative genius. The net result is a revitalized theory of how it even becomes possible for single individuals to make creative choices that not only may cause changes in their own lives, but also alter the course of world history.

Five decades of settlement and subsidence

During the late 1960s and 1970s consideration of land instability in Great Britain was dominated by coal mining-related problems. Subsequently, as the pace of development and infrastructure has increased, there has been a greater awareness regarding collapses due to mining for resources other than coal and also due to karstic features in soluble rocks. This has been highlighted by reference to national and regional studies. In addition, there has been an improvement in the number of recorded occurrences of sinkholes and crown holes. The hazard of ground collapse in certain geological settings, together with the size of collapses and resulting damage to development and infrastructure, has become more evident as case studies have been published. Whereas a range of subsidence triggers are evident, the principal causal agency is usually water from rainfall or leaking utilities. Wider-ranging studies, both in Britain and overseas, have identified ever broader causes of land instability, including those related to glacial and periglacial features, and also uncontrolled groundwater exploitation. This review provides a useful summary of land settlement and subsidence activity to warn practitioners where caution should be applied when carrying out ground investigations and providing design advice.