Social Psychological Constructs Research Articles

Harnessing Physical Training Resolve through the Modernization of Large-Scale Sports Venues in Selected Colleges in Henan Province, China

The results of this study highlight the relationship between the modernization of large-scale sports venues and the physical training resolve of students in selected universities in Henan Province, China. The findings indicate that while the modernization of sports facilities generally improved public accessibility and provided students with better infrastructure, it did not significantly influence all aspects of physical training resolve. There were significant correlations between public accessibility and students' motivation to participate in diverse sports activities, as well as between government-market dynamics and the duration of physical training sessions. However, areas such as social influence, peer support, and psychological constructs did not show strong associations with the modernization efforts. The study also found that the physical training resolve of students varied based on their course of study, with certain disciplines showing higher engagement in specific types of sports and psychological benefits. Overall, the results suggest that while modernization enhances some aspects of physical training, a more comprehensive approach is needed to fully support students’ physical engagement across all dimensions.

Responsiveness in context: Unpacking the causal model of the wisdom-responsiveness link

By exploring the nuances of responsive phenomenology, Streib extends the science of wisdom beyond person-centric phenomena to include the social, interpersonal, and intersubjective dimensions. We applaud Streib’s efforts to enrich wisdom models and highlight several areas requiring further clarity, particularly regarding the causal relationship between responsive phenomenology and wisdom, and the role of broader cultural-historical factors for understanding the wisdom of responsiveness. Our commentary highlights the need for greater conceptual precision to differentiate responsiveness from related constructs in social psychology and calls for future research to delineate when responsiveness contributes to wisdom in varied contexts. Through this critical examination, we aim to advance the science of wisdom by emphasizing the significance of responsiveness within a comprehensive social-ecological framework, thereby fostering a deeper understanding of interpersonal and intergroup relations.

Influences of Social-Psychological Constructs in Predicting Taiwanese Pro-Environmental Behaviors.

A value-belief-norm (VBN) model for understanding the pro-environmental behaviors (PEB) of Taiwanese was developed. This formulated VBN model included personal values, openness to change, awareness of consequences, personal norms, social norms, and PEB. Ecological world view and ascription of responsibility were excluded to develop a tighter model. A total of 1079 completed questionnaires were collected and structural equation modelling was utilized, where standard estimates and coefficients of determination validated the formulated VBN model's effectiveness. Each construct served its role as the mediator between its distal variable and outcome variable, with a substantial level of predictive accuracy, and 74.3% of the variance in PEB was accounted for. Further findings found that mature individuals had a stronger tendency towards awareness of consequences due to personal values; the young had a stronger tendency towards personal norms due to awareness of consequences; men had a stronger tendency towards personal norms due to awareness of consequences; and women had a weaker tendency due to a greater emphasis on altruism. Future interventions, such as sharing of personal pro-environmental lifestyles verbally or through social media, periodically decluttering personal items and maintaining a minimalist lifestyle, where these personal norms are in line with collective social norms, could help to strengthen PEB.

The effects of self-other overlap and group efficacy on group-based anger and collective action tendency: An online experimental study

Collective emotions and actions represent foundational constructs in social psychology, significantly influencing societal dynamics and responses. Within this framework, the Self-Other Overlap (SOO) - wherein individuals perceive minimal distinction between their own and others' identities - has been identified as an impactful factor at the interpersonal level. However, the extrapolation of SOO's implications at the collective, group level remains an underexplored domain in contemporary research.In addressing this lacuna, the present research endeavors to elucidate the multifaceted implications of SOO on group emotions and actions, contextualized within societal challenges such as “food hygiene problems”. Utilizing validated instruments including the Self-Other Overlap Scale, Group-Based Anger Scale, Collective Action Tendency Scale, and Group Efficacy Scale for Coping Situations, this study adopts a tripartite situational experiment, engaging a collective sample of 359 participants, systematically recruited via the Credamo smart research platform to ensure representativeness.Study 1 examined the potential influence of variable SOO degrees on Group-Based Anger (GA) and Collective Action Tendency (CAT). Study 2 further refined the exploration, discerning the differential impacts of SOO targets on GA and CAT. Conclusively, Study 3 sought to ascertain the potential moderating role of Group Efficacy (GE) within the SOO-GA-CAT relationship.The empirical findings yielded several salient insights: notably, an augmentation in SOO levels corresponded with an amplification of GA and CAT. Furthermore, a delineation in SOO targets, specifically from external to ingroup entities, manifested in a pronounced augmentation of GA and CAT. Intriguingly, while elevated SOO predisposed heightened CAT, the modulatory effect of GE on CAT manifested predominantly in lower SOO contexts.In summation, the present study underscores the pivotal role of SOO magnitude and orientation as determinants of GA and CAT. The nuanced interplay between SOO degree and GE, particularly vis-à-vis CAT, provides a fresh scholarly perspective, contributing to the enriched understanding of group dynamics and collective behavioral paradigms.

Attitudes of students towards the use of video-based media in physical education

Introduction
 The importance of teachers’ attitudes regarding the use of technology and media in schools and classrooms gains more recognition in the development of their professional competence. However, students often still hold limited views about digital media in educational settings. This limited perspective is likely due to the significant increase in media usage over the past two decades. It’s assumed that students also desire to use media for learning purposes, which is particularly questionable in the subject of physical education, where physical activity is of central importance. Therefore, understanding students' attitudes toward media use, both inside and outside of school, is crucial, and it's a focal point of media educational efforts. To comprehensively study this, the social-psychological construct of attitude, with its cognitive, affective, and behavioral components, is considered (Zimbardo & Gerrig, 1996). Key questions revolve around characterizing student attitudes toward media use in physical education, identifying relationships between attitude components, and determining external factors that can promote positive attitudes.
 Methods
 Following the Technology Acceptance Model (Park, 2009), a questionnaire was developed to assess attitudes and validated through a survey of eighth-grade students (N = 202). External variables, cognitive attitude, affective attitude, and behavioral attitude dimensions were examined as separate aspects. These dimensions were refined and validated through reliability analysis and factor analyses. Using these validated scales and collected data, a structural equation model was created to illustrate the relationships between external factors and attitudinal dimensions.
 Results
 The proposed model demonstrated satisfactory fit to the data (RMSEA = .06; χ2/df ratio = 1.72; CFI = 0.90). The findings indicate that the use of media in physical education and the related self-efficacy in using media have a positive impact on the cognitive aspect of attitude. However, the cognitive component of attitude does not directly influence the intention to use media in physical education. Instead, positive evaluations of media use mediate the relationship between the cognitive component and the intention to use media. The intention to use media in physical education is primarily increased through positive affective evaluations.
 Conclusion
 A negative attitude toward using media in physical education can be attributed to a lack of access and insufficient self-efficacy in utilizing it. Therefore, interventions at both the student and teacher levels should focus on effectively introducing the benefits of media-supported physical education, with the goal of enhancing self-efficacy and reducing negative attitudes. This model will be further validated at the teacher level in subsequent studies to identify external factors suitable for targeted interventions.
 References
 Park, S. Y. (2009). An analysis of the Technology Acceptance Model in understanding university Students’ behavioral intention to use e-learning. Educational Technology & Society, 12(3), 150-162.
 Zimbardo, P. G., & Gerrig, R. J. (1996). Psychologie. (7th transl. and rev. ed.). Springer.

The effect of cognitive factors on consumer behaviour: A business strategy context study

Health behaviour research is mainly based on the evaluation of the consequences of the behaviour. However, observing the worsening state of public health naturally raises questions about the causes of these trends. There are many factors influencing consumer health behaviour (legal, fiscal, demographic, political, etc.). It is agreed, that the consumer alone can hardly influence all of these mentioned factors (de Vries et al., 2018; Hilz et al., 2019). However, there are social cognitive psychological constructs (e.g., consumer attitudes), that can be partially or fully controlled or managed by the individual. In this article, the cognitive factors that influence consumer health behaviour are evaluated (pharmacy business context). The problem arises, what is the impact of cognitive factors on consumer health behaviour? The quantitative empirical research approach was chosen to reflect the attitudes of the Lithuanian population about health, research sample — 1,000 respondents. The interview was based on the computer-assisted web interview (CAWI). Results suggest, that the information from internet portals, has the most statistically significant impact on the formation of attitudes towards health. A similar tendency is reflected in health behaviour. The results of the study have practical value for pharmacy business companies and medical service companies.

Dynamics of social-psychological constructs of meaningful orientations and personality self-actualization in management activities

У статті розкрито динамічність соціально-психологічних конструктів смисложиттєвих орієнтацій та самоактуалізації особистості в управлінській діяльності. Показано, що смисложиттєві орієнтації та самоактуалізація особистості розгортаються через проблеми сенсу життя й життєтворення особистості, завдяки особистісно-ціннісній регуляції та виступають як провідний чинник її самотворення і самоефективності; відіграють суттєву роль у самоздійсненні особистості. Визначено індивідуально-типологічну та соціально-психологічну специфіку смисложиттєвих орієнтацій і самоактуалізації особистості в управлінській діяльності. Розкрито і операціоналізовано концептуальну модель соціально-психологічних умов й чинників розвитку смисложиттєвих орієнтацій та самоактуалізації особистості в управлінській діяльності, що охоплює самореалізацію в особистісному зростанні (саморозвиток), індивідуальнісну самореалізацію (мобілізація ресурсів), соціальну (взаємостосунки) та екзистенційну (життєреалізування) самореалізацію особистості в управлінській діяльності. Науково обґрунтовано й емпірично перевірено багаторівневу соціально-психологічну програму розвитку смисложиттєвих орієнтацій та самоактуалізації особистості в управлінській діяльності, розроблену із залученням системи інноваційних розвивальних впливів і технік активації свідомості. Ключові слова: особистість, управління, управління команди, смисложиттєві орієнтації, самоактуалізація, особистісно-ціннісна регуляція, самоефективність, самоздійснення, сучасний соціум.

Assessing System Justification in Czech Population Using the System Justification Scale.

System justification (SJ) is an important construct in social psychology that has received considerable attention over the past three decades. At the empirical level, system justification is examined by means of a specially developed System Justification Scale (SJS), which is designed to explain how individuals accept justice, whether they consider a given social order to be fair, how they evaluate the conditions in the country in which they live, how they accept social change, or to what extent they express compliance with established rules. System justification involves not only those who benefit from the existing social order, but also those who are disadvantaged. In their case, system justification mitigates negative perceptions of objective inequalities and asymmetries. Empirical evidence suggests that system justification may also be associated with higher perceived quality of life. The present study translated and validated the SJS, providing complex and detailed information on the psychometric properties of the scale. In addition, the scale's internal consistency, unidimensionality, and construct validity were examined. The conclusions presented are based on the results of exploratory factor analysis, internal consistency assessment, analysis of variance, correlation analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. Results were obtained from face-to-face survey data collected from a sample of 1419 individuals representing the Czech population aged 18-79 years. Since the SJS showed high internal consistency, adequately discriminated levels of system justification, and had robust psychometric properties, it could be recommended for further use.

ADOPTING ATTITUDE OF SELF--ESTEEM AND SELF CONFIDENT IN ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVITIES OF ORGANIZATION

Entrepreneurial Activities is an exciting and challenging journey that requires a unique set of skills and qualities. Over the years, studies have revealed certain characteristics that are common among successful entrepreneurs. Among these traits, self-confidence stands out as the most crucial attribute. Self-confidence forms the foundation upon which all other entrepreneurial qualities are built. This article delves into the significance of self esteem and self-confident that will provides practical strategies to nurture and maintain it .Self--esteem is a central construct in clinical, developmental, personality, and social psychology. Its role in psychological functioning has been studied for more than a century. Self-esteem construct has spawned a research literature of such magnitude and richness that it is impossible to summarize. Therefore, the aim of the present research was to highlight the main topics in this domain. That is, the self-esteem definition, dimensionality, and components; its formation and development, and assessment; the positive and negative effects of both high and low self-esteem, the association between low self-esteem and psychopathology especially depression, the dark side of high self-esteem (e.g.,narcissism) self-esteem and both culture and demographic variables associations were reviewed, and the stability of self esteem.

Self-control, limited willpower and decision fatigue in healthcare settings.

We argue that willpower as well as its depletion may, in some circumstances, adversely impact on clinical decision-making and patient care. This psychological phenomenon has been dubbed ego depletion in social psychology. Willpower and its depletion which is known as 'ego depletion' are well-established and validated theoretical constructs in social psychology and have been studied across a range of experimental contexts. Willpower is closely related to the concept of self-control, which refers to the ability to regulate one's own behaviour and actions in order to pursue and achieve either a short- or long-term goal. We outline the clinical relevance of willpower and its depletion in relation to clinical case examples drawn from three of the authors' clinical experience with the view of developing a clinical-research agenda for future research studies. We examine willpower and its depletion in the context of three clinical case examples, which include (i) doctor-patient interactions, (ii) willpower and its depletion in relation to challenging interpersonal interactions with clinical and non-clinical work colleagues and (iii) willpower and its depletion in response to working within a challenging and unpredictable clinical environment. In contrast to the more widely recognised external resources (including space, staff allocations and night shifts), a greater understanding of how this important but under-recognised internal resource can be depleted in response to a range of different factors within clinical settings has the potential to inform and improve patient care through a renewed focus on the developing interdisciplinary clinical studies which draw upon contemporary findings from social psychology. Future work aimed at developing evidence-based interventions to help mitigate the negative impact of impaired self-control and decision fatigue within healthcare systems may in turn lead to improved patient care as well as more effective healthcare service and delivery.

White Identity and Climate Change Skepticism: Assessing the Mediating Roles of Social Dominance Orientation and Conspiratorial Ideation

Prior research has found that white people are more likely to be climate change skeptics. In much of this prior work, white identity is treated as a categorical label, limiting the theoretical and empirical understanding of this relationship. Drawing on survey data from a US national sample of 933 white young adults, we theorize that white identity is a developmental process where people explore the meanings of their racial identity and commit to a white identity marked by enhanced levels of social dominance orientation and conspiratorial ideation, two social-psychological constructs consistently associated with climate change skepticism. Using regression analyses, we tested a mediation model that a strong white identity would increase climate change skepticism by enhancing one’s social dominance orientation and conspiratorial ideation. We found partial support for our model. While a strong white identity was positively associated with social dominance orientation and conspiratorial ideation, only social dominance orientation increased climate change skepticism. Conspiratorial ideation reduced climate change skepticism. We discuss the implications of our findings for the climate change literature as well as how our findings can inform policies that could reduce climate change skepticism among white people.

Happy Days: Resolving the Structure of Daily Subjective Well-Being, Between and Within Individuals

We address the long-standing confusion concerning the conceptualization and structure of subjective well-being (SWB) by examining daily variation in life satisfaction (LS), positive affect (PA), and negative affect (NA). A total of 911 participants provided daily ratings of LS, PA, and NA over 14 days. Between- and within-individual variations in daily SWB were simultaneously modeled using dynamic structural equation modeling and random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling. Parameter estimates were highly consistent across approaches. Strong loadings from LS, PA, and NA were observed on latent SWB factors, both between and within individuals; cross-lagged predictive effects among SWB components were small and inconsistent across adjacent days within individuals. Findings provide compelling new evidence supporting a hierarchical conceptualization of SWB as an underlying (latent) sense of well-being reflected in daily experiences of LS, PA, and NA. Implications for studying stable (trait-like) and dynamic (time-varying) aspects of other multidimensional constructs in social and personality psychology are discussed.

Private landowners' childhood nature experiences affect their feelings of connectedness-to-nature and land stewardship as adults

Achieving land conservation goals cannot be accomplished with policies aimed at public lands alone but critically depends on private land stewardship. Therefore, understanding what motivates private landowners to engage in land stewardship is vital. Connection with nature is a more recently developed construct that provides additional explanations for pro-environmental behaviors, next to more established social-psychological constructs. We investigated the interactions between childhood experiences in nature as well as adults' connection with nature and environmental concerns, and how these affect private landowners' stewardship behaviors. We collected data with a large survey of 1200 Ontario landowners and analyzed the 598 responses with structural equation modeling. We conducted additional analyses to investigate possible effects of landowner demographic characteristics using bootstrap validation. Our results suggest that childhood experiences in nature affect adults' connection with nature and land stewardship behaviors, but not their environmental concerns. In turn, connection with nature may affect private land stewardship behaviors indirectly through environmental concerns as well as directly. Some of these relationships were modified by landowner employment status, income, participation in conservation programs, and political orientation. We speculate that landowners' engagement with environmental topics, their perception of personal responsibility for environmental issues, and their exposure to environmental degradation, influence social-psychological relationships that precede the enactment of private land stewardship behaviors. Reduced childhood experiences in nature may be a contributing factor that is limiting private land stewardship behaviors and constraining the achievement of land conservation goals.

Developing Connectedness to Nature in Urban Outdoor Settings: A Potential Pathway Through Awe, Solitude, and Leisure.

Outdoor leisure experiences may represent an understudied yet effective pathway to promote connectedness to nature for urban park visitors. In contrast to outdoor recreation, this critical essay argues outdoor leisure more heavily emphasizes eudaimonic sentiments and intrinsic motivation in comparison with the goal-oriented and hedonic nature of outdoor recreation. It is further argued that two specific social psychological constructs, awe and solitude, may be especially useful in promoting leisure experiences in urban outdoor spaces. Relevant philosophical and social psychological literature is reviewed and synthesized to outline how land managers and environmental educators may facilitate experiences of awe and solitude to better promote contexts for experiencing outdoor leisure in urban parks. Specifically, reviewed literature suggests that utilizing the recreation opportunity spectrum framework and co-creative processes may be an effective path forward in better supporting urban park environments that are conducive to awe, solitude, and leisure. The review and synthesis of this research may ultimately guide environmental educators, land managers, and researchers in ways to more effectively support connectedness to nature via outdoor leisure experiences as an outcome for visitors to outdoor urban spaces.

Mechanisms Linking Masculine Discrepancy Stress and the Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence Among Men in the United States.

Although studies show that masculine discrepancy stress (i.e., the intrapsychic strain associated with failing to meet internalized masculine ideals) is associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration, little is known about the processes underlying this association. There may be other social psychological constructs at play that explain this relationship further. The present study uses recently collected data from a national survey of men living in the United States (n = 711) to formally test whether the effects of discrepancy stress on three different forms of IPV perpetration are mediated by anger, self-esteem, and perceived powerlessness. We find that discrepancy stress is directly associated with higher levels of anger, lower levels self-esteem, a sense of powerlessness, and a greater odds of perpetrating any physical IPV and severe physical IPV resulting in injuries, but not sexual IPV perpetration in our sample of men. Our mediation analyses confirms that masculine discrepancy stress is indirectly associated with perpetrating all three forms of IPV through the mechanism of anger. Self-esteem and perceived powerlessness are not supported as mediators. These findings add to our understanding of the link between masculinity and violence perpetration and can inform IPV reduction interventions. Gender transformative interventions that reduce discrepancy stress among men by shifting men’s adherence to traditional masculine norms, and that integrate anger management strategies, should be explored in future research.

Farmers\u2019 Intended Weed Management after a Potential Glyphosate Ban in Austria

Glyphosate is controversially discussed because of its alleged harmful effects on human health and the environment. Although it is approved until December 2022 in the European Union, the Austrian government discusses a national ban. Research on farmers’ intentions to deal with upcoming pesticide policy changes is limited and planned responses to a national glyphosate ban may inform accompanying measures and the development of weed management alternatives. Therefore, we have conducted 41 qualitative semi-structured interviews with farmers to explore their intended weed management if glyphosate-based herbicides were no longer available in Austria. The interviews were systematically analyzed, whereby the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) with its three social-psychological constructs served as guidance, i.e., attitude toward the planned behavior, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control toward the planned behavior. We grouped farmers based on differences in their behavioral intentions toward glyphosate-free weed management, and identified four types of farmers by assigning group-specific attributes of the TPB constructs to the groups of farmers with similar behavioral intentions. Given a national glyphosate ban, the farmers intend to implement either mechanical or chemical alternatives, which would be solely applied or combined with changes in cultivation. Attitude toward the planned behavior, descriptive norms, and perceived behavioral control affect behavioral intentions, whereas injunctive norms do not differ much between the interviewed farmers. What unites the four types of farmers is that they would rather accept a glyphosate ban, if weed management alternatives with similar effectiveness and costs were available.

Viewing Your Kapwa: Elaboration of a Social-Relational Construct through Language

Enriquez (1978) presented Kapwa as a core social psychological construct that could underpin Filipino social perception and interaction. However, issues arose regarding its conceptual and operational clarity as well as lack of empirical support. This two-phased study aims to address the issues presented through a psychometric approach. The first phase aimed to uncover construct characteristics by asking participants to provide definitions and examples of kapwa and di-kapwa, which were then examined via content analysis and the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) program. Results from this phase elicited four (4) themes indicating that people viewed their social other in terms of dispositional attribution, level of interaction, connection, and inclusion. The second phase utilized this data to develop a kapwa measure which was found to have three (3) dimensions: Relations with the Social Other, Perceived Negative Characteristics, and Difference from the Self. Initial reliability and validity tests were favorable. Implications on Filipino social perception and behaviors highlight that we view our social others in terms of the aforementioned three dimensions and how differentially we might treat them depending on whether they are perceived as kapwa or di-kapwa. Furthermore, the results of the study further elaborate and nuance kapwa, which adds to theorizing in Sikolohiyang Pilipino (SP).

Fallacies about communities that lead to failed community relations

ABSTRACT The assessment and implementation of development projects has been disconnected from relevant concepts in social psychology, especially those relating to understanding the interactions between projects and local communities. This disconnection has given rise to the prevalence of several fallacies about human behaviour amongst project staff, decision makers and environmental and social impact assessment practitioners. The playing-out of these fallacies influences the implementation of projects and reduces the likelihood of gaining a social licence to operate. Because these fallacies lead to distorted perceptions about communities, the existence of these fallacies is deleterious to desirable social relations with communities, good impact assessment practice, and to effective project decision-making. We describe eight of these fallacies: subjectivity; naiveté; unpredictability; irrationality; greediness; self-serving; aggressiveness; and rigidity. We discuss these fallacies by drawing on the social psychology constructs of attitudes, risk perception, social identity, and social justice. We conclude by considering how these fallacies can be addressed in practice and how development projects and impact assessment can be improved.

Group clinical supervision for nurses: process, group cohesion and facilitator effect

Objective: This qualitative research project set out to explore how, and by what means, participation in group clinical supervision might impact nurses. It aimed to describe participant perceptions of the processes within a long running reflective practice group for intensive care nurses and explore these in relation to relevant theory. Background: Interpersonal aspects of care are central to the nursing role, however, the associated emotional labour can develop into moral distress, compassion fatigue and burnout. Australia’s peak nursing and midwifery bodies have released a joint position statement on the importance of supervision for nurses. Group supervision interventions, such as reflective practice groups, mitigate stress, promote learning and support interpersonal aspects of nursing. Method: Twenty-two intensive care nurses from a reflective practice group that had been running for 10 years, participated in focus groups convened by an independent researcher. Thematic analysis identified key perceptions relating to process and outcomes. Results: Group identification, voluntary participation and skilled facilitation created an enabling environment for nurses to self-disclose. The sense of universality experienced by participants, along with increased empathy, enabled reflection and self-evaluation relevant to the group prototype of the ideal nurse. Authentic emotional expression was seen to provide respite from emotional labour, thereby regenerating resources for nurses to cope with job demands. Discussion: Key themes can be aligned to social psychology constructs of group identity, task interdependence and homogeneity, supporting earlier studies that suggest group cohesion is comprised of measurable factors. By developing and aligning with these constructs, the facilitator assists the group to establish a safe space whilst conceptualizing and aspiring to a model for the professional and compassionate nurse. Conclusion: Social psychology constructs can help develop practice and research of group supervision for nurses. In clinical nursing settings, group identity is particularly salient and facilitator interventions should aim to strengthen this. The development of a sense of universality, when combined with voluntary participation and a focus on intra-group process, can enhance cohesion and create a safe space for self-disclosure. This enables nurses to examine actions and responses to clinical situations and explore emotions incongruent with the ideal nurse prototype, thereby promoting restorative and formative benefits. Implications for research, policy, and practice: This study adds to our understanding of processes in group clinical supervision for nurses and suggests that it is appropriate to apply social identity theory to improve practice and research. It will be of interest to nurses and nursing leaders who wish to develop supervision programs. What is already known about this topic? Compassion fatigue, emotional labour and moral distress contribute to nurse burnout. Group Clinical Supervision can help mitigate stress, enhance learning and support interpersonal aspects of nursing care. The supervisory alliance is an important factor in effective clinical supervision whilst group cohesion is an important factor in the effectiveness of group work. What this paper adds: Reflective Practice Groups (RPG) are defined as a form of Group Clinical Supervision that utilize social support as a resource. RPG facilitation principles are aligned with social psychology constructs of group identity, task interdependence and homogeneity. Alliance with the facilitator and cohesion within the group, enhanced by voluntary participation and facilitation techniques, allow group members to access restorative and formative benefits whilst prompting self-evaluation against the group ideal nursing prototype.

Who chooses a pSTEM academic major? Using social psychology to predict selection and persistence over the freshman year

AbstractMany social psychological variables, in addition to knowledge‐based factors such as academic preparedness, have been investigated individually as sources of the persistent gender gap in pSTEM (physical science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. The present work tested all of these factors simultaneously and longitudinally, in a sample drawn from an incoming freshman class measured at three timepoints over the course of their first year. One thousand nine hundred and twenty‐nine students completed a survey with items assessing eleven social psychological constructs and were asked for permission to obtain institutional data regarding their academic preparedness and choice of academic major before matriculation, after the first semester, and at the end of freshman year. These social psychological and academic variables were used to predict pSTEM major status. Across multiple timepoints, and over and above academic preparedness, greater Math and Science Self‐Efficacy, rejection of the stereotype that scientist careers are unsociable in nature, having a pSTEM role model in high school, and lower endorsement of communal goals were consistently related to the selection of a pSTEM major. Students who endorsed entity theories of math and science abilities were also less likely to select a pSTEM over life and social sciences major. As a set, the factors accounted for roughly half of the gender difference in pSTEM major selection. Interventions aimed at reducing the gender gap in pSTEM major selection might do well to focus on these more psychological factors as well as academic ones.