Framework Of Cognitive Theory Research Articles

How a paracrisis situation is instigated by an online firestorm and visual mockery: Testing a paracrisis development model

On the framework of cognitive appraisal theory, the current research proposes a paracrisis development model that illustrates how the cognitive appraisal of social norms and visual mockery in the social media evokes negative affect and subsequent coping behaviors in terms of boycotts. To test the model, an online experiment was conducted simulating a real-world paracrisis situation in which a user's Facebook commentary regarding a company's billboard ad sparked a social media outcry. Results of the study showed that both social proof and visual mockery played a role in the negative climate of opinion and perception of a crisis. Social proof and visual mockery also aroused negative affect. Notably, visual mockery affected negative affect of self rather than others, while social proof had a greater impact on negative affect of others than self. The elicited negative affect not only increased boycott intentions but it also mediated the effect of visual mockery on boycott intentions. In conclusion, the paracrisis development model showed empirical evidence for the role of social media triggered events in forming a crisis perception and potentially leading to boycotts in the interplay of social proof and visual mockery.

First-Generation College Students’ Persistence Intentions in Engineering Majors

This study examined the relationship between parental support, engineering-related (realistic/investigative themed) learning experiences, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and persistence intentions in a sample of first-generation college student (FGCS) engineering majors ( N = 130). Parental support was assessed at the conclusion of an academic year and modeled as a predictor of other engineering-related variables assessed a year later using the social cognitive career theory framework. Results showed that parental support predicted realistic/investigative-themed verbal persuasion and vicarious learning, while realistic/investigative-themed performance accomplishments and physiological arousal predicted engineering self-efficacy. Realistic/investigative performance accomplishments also predicted outcome expectations. Self-efficacy and outcome expectations were predictors of engineering persistence intentions. Contrary to expectations, self-efficacy did not significantly predict outcome expectations. Mediation analyses revealed that the relationships of realistic/investigative-themed performance accomplishments and physiological arousal to persistence intentions were explained by self-efficacy. Results are discussed in terms of increasing retention of FGCS in engineering.

Promoting change among parents involved in the child welfare system: Parents’ reflections on their motivations to change parenting behaviors

Summary Although a wealth of research exists related to children involved in the child welfare system, far less is known about parents’ experiences. Specifically, research is needed that examines the motivation for change of parents involved with the child welfare system in order to inform interventions with this at-risk population. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 33 parents court ordered to participate in a parent education group due to involvement with the child welfare system. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and researchers used qualitative content analysis to examine parents’ motivation to change their parenting behaviors. Findings Participants highlighted how patterns from their family of origin, their own identity, and their current support systems served as motivation for change in their own parenting behaviors. Results were discussed using a social cognitive theory framework. Application Clinical implications include the need to assess at-risk parents’ unique sources of motivation for change and how current parenting practices may be encouraged or modeled from others. Doing so may improve engagement and retention in interventions meant to improve family outcomes.

Russian reforms in the context of cognitive history theory

Within the conceptual framework of cognitive theory the author presents a concept of social transformations based on information exchange - the target-oriented construction of the social reality in past and present. The paper focuses on cognitive logic of reforms, reconstructing the frames of general information, elaboration of dominant reform projects, the process of priorities selection, the modes of cognitive domination maintenance used by reform elites. On this ground the Russian reforms style is analyzed as the stable and self-reproductive cognitive stereotypes, the system of formal and informal institutional regulations, their transformation in the process of reforms, implementation of varied strategies and technologies of information control as precondition of the reforms’ success. The accumulation of historical experience provides the possibility to rethink the strategy of Russian reforms at the current stage.

Helping doctoral students teach: transitioning to early career academia through cognitive apprenticeship

ABSTRACTDoctoral training is strongly focused on honing research skills at the expense of developing teaching competency. As a result, emerging academics are unprepared for the pedagogical requirements of their early-career academic roles. Employing an action research approach, this study investigates the effectiveness of a competency-based teaching development intervention that aims to improve the teaching self-efficacy of doctoral candidates. To conduct this research, we apply the theoretical framework of Cognitive Apprenticeship Theory, a theory of social learning that requires learners to participate in a community of inquiry. Participants report significantly higher levels of teaching self-efficacy and a stronger sense of connectedness to the wider academic community.

Society and culture as container

Within the social sciences and humanities, especially in the field of cultural studies, research has increasingly been dealing with the dissolution of cultural and social boundaries. However, the question of how interactants perceive themselves and construct and describe their interaction space in a certain ‘culture’ or ‘society’ can only be answered empirically. In this regard, the methodological framework of cognitive metaphor theory has proven to be facilitative. From a cognitive semantics point of view, metaphors by no means refer to an external world in a descriptive sense, but are important mediators between cognition and language, as well as between the individual and society. On the basis of two research projects — one on the metaphorical construction of society in German and Brazilian written and spoken corpora, and another on filmed intercultural interactions in the context of an ongoing research — it will be revealed how participants in communication use culture-specific metaphorizations when localizing themselves and others. In addition, the role of animated ‘compound image schemas’, such as container, outside-inside and up-down, will be explored at the linguistic as well as the gestural level when functioning as ‘patterns of orientation’ and ‘meaning formulas’. While from a communicative-participative perspective such schemas serve to reduce complexity, they are also highly significant from the participants’ own extracommunicative-reflexive point of view where interpretations regarding divergent behavioral patterns are concerned.

Researcher-identified and emergent predictors of pupil control ideologies: a Canadian beginning teacher perspective

The objectives of this study were (a) to identify the direction of pupil control ideology (PCI) shifts during participants’ beginning teaching years, and (b) to identify a broader range of emergent (participant-identified) predictors of PCI that beginning teachers saw as accounting for the tendency for their classroom learning environments to become more or less humanistic or custodial. The study builds on a pilot study by extending its geographical scope to include beginning teachers from three Canadian provinces, and its theoretical underpinnings to a potentially more comprehensive social cognitive theory framework. Data was collected during semi-structured interviews with 27 elementary teachers, and analyzed using open coding, intentional coding (process and strategic), and thematic analysis. Fifteen predictive variables were identified. Nine of these variables were ‘emergent’ and six were researcher selected and confirmed by participants. The study concluded that relationships with students were foundational to effective classroom management. Additionally, a ‘custodial’ pupil control ideology was seen not as an end in itself nor as a static reality, but as a preliminary phase of an increasingly ‘humanistic’ approach that emerged as relationships with students developed.

Pragmática ecofánica del contradiscurso artístico ‘oportunista’ en política

En este artículo nos proponemos estudiar, basándonos en la teoría de la Relevancia (D. Sperber y D.Wilson, 1995, 2004; Carston, 2002), algunos aspectos pragmáticos y traductológicos (E.A.Gutt, 1991, 1998, 2004) del contradiscurso político-electoral sobre Barack Obama fundamentado en obras de arte. El lenguaje pictórico-visual con toda la complejidad de sus estructuras y procesos, posee un enorme potencial comunicativo pero necesita del anclaje verbal, especialmente en los textos multimodales de naturaleza ecoica, si éstos tienen fines persuasivos. Centraremos nuestra atención en dos obras pictóricas consideradas canónicas del arte y de la cultura estadounidense: Washington Crossing the Delaware de Emanuel Leutze (1851) y American Gothic de Grant Wood (1930).

Focus on opportunities as a boundary condition of the relationship between job control and work engagement: A multi-sample, multi-method study

The concept of focus on opportunities describes how many new goals, options, and possibilities employees believe to have in their personal future at work. In this multi-sample, multi-method study, the authors investigated relationships between focus on opportunities and general and daily work engagement and the moderating role of focus on opportunities on between- and within-person relationships between job control and work engagement. Based on a social cognitive theory framework on the motivating potential of a future temporal focus, it was hypothesized that focus on opportunities is positively related to work engagement. Further, consistent with the notion of compensatory resources, it was expected that job control is not related to work engagement among employees with a high focus on opportunities, whereas job control, as an external resource of the work environment, is positively related to work engagement among employees with a low focus on opportunities. Both a cross-sectional survey study (N=174) and a daily diary study (N=64) supported the hypotheses. The study contributes to research on the job demands-resources model as it emphasizes the role of focus on opportunities as a motivational factor in the relationship between job control and work engagement.

Economy is an organism – a comparative study of metaphor in English and Russian economic discourse

AbstractIn the present study a corpus-based approach is employed to compare the use of metaphor describing the global economic crisis of 2008 in the mainstream economic press in Britain and in Russia. The analysis is carried out within the framework of cognitive metaphor theory, involving a comparative study of conceptual metaphors and frequency analysis. The results indicate that a considerable similarity exists in terms of high-level conceptual metaphors, but find subtle differences in terms of frequency and linguistic expression. We particularly focus on

Social-Cognitive Predictors of STEM Career Interests and Goal Persistence in College Students With Disabilities From Racial and Ethnic Minority Backgrounds

Objective:To examine the relations of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics’s (STEM) self-efficacy, outcome expectations, interests, and contextual supports and barriers to STEM educational goals in college students with disabilities from racial and ethnic minority backgroundsDesign:Quantitative descriptive research design using hierarchical regression analysis (HRA)Participants:115 underrepresented minority students with disabilities receiving services from the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Minority-Disability (MIND) Alliance in STEM project at Hunter College, City University of New York and Southern University at Baton Rouge for the years 2008−2011.Outcome Measures:TheSocial-Cognitive STEM measuresResults:The HRA results indicated that gender, advanced placement (AP) classes, father’s educational level, academic milestone self-efficacy, and STEM interest were significant predictors of goal persistence in African American and Hispanic college students with disabilities. The final model accounted for 57% of the variance in STEM persistence, which is considered a large effect size.Conclusion:The research findings provide good support for the use of the social cognitive career theory (SCCT) framework to identify predictors of STEM persistence and to design academic retention services and career development interventions for college students who are underrepresented minorities with disabilities.

Pre-operative preparation of patients for total knee replacement: An action research study

Aims and objectivesTo examine the development and impact of a multidisciplinary preparation clinic for patients undergoing total knee replacement (TKR) surgery. BackgroundThere is evidence to suggest that patients’ preoperative characteristics such as pain and mental state impact the long term results of TKR surgery. Preparation sessions may help in identifying and working with those patients whose preoperative status could reduce the benefits of surgery. DesignAction research. MethodActions cycles were carried out to develop an information booklet and multidisciplinary Knee Clinic at an acute Trust in outer London, UK. A sample (n=23) of patients was recruited to test changes as they were implemented. ResultsThe Knee Clinic involved nurse practitioners, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and service users (patients recovered from TKR surgery). Elements of physical and social assessment and interventions were carried out using a Social Cognitive Theory framework. Patients reported they benefitted from the information booklet and attendance at the Knee Clinic. ConclusionA structured pre-operative information and assessment clinic can be developed using a Social Cognitive Theory framework for the benefit of patients. Further studies are required to examine and utilise psychological assessment of patients at such clinics.

Intervention Effects on Physical Activity and Insulin Levels in Men of Pakistani Origin Living in Oslo: A Randomised Controlled Trial

High prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is seen in some immigrant groups in Western countries, particularly in those from the Indian subcontinent. Our aims were to increase the physical activity (PA) level in a group of Pakistani immigrant men, and to see whether any increase was associated with reduced serum glucose and insulin concentrations. The intervention was developed in collaboration with the Pakistani community. It used a social cognitive theory framework and consisted of structured supervised group exercises, group lectures, individual counselling and telephone follow-up. One- hundred and fifty physically inactive Pakistani immigrant men living in Oslo, Norway, were randomised to either a control group or an intervention group. The 5-month intervention focused on increasing levels of PA, which were assessed by use of accelerometer (Actigraph MTI 7164) recordings. Risk of diabetes was assessed by serum glucose and insulin concentrations determined in a fasted state, and after an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). ANCOVA was used to assess differences between groups. There was a mean difference in PA between the two groups of 49 counts per minute per day, representing a 15 % (95 % CI = 8.7–21.2; P = 0.01) higher increase in total PA level in the intervention group than in the control group. Insulin values taken 2 h after an OGTT were reduced in the intervention group by 27 % (95 % CI = 18.9–35.0; P = 0.02) more than those in the control group. There were no differences in fasting or postprandial glucose values between the groups at the follow-up test. This type of intervention can increase PA and reduce serum insulin in Pakistani immigrant men, thereby presumably reducing their risk of T2D.

The Coach's Impact on Long Distance Runners' Training and Competition Motivation

An understanding of how an athlete's motivation is affected by coaching behaviours is vital information for a coach to acquire. This study examines the impact and need for a coach in optimising international athletes' training and competition motivation within the framework of Cognitive Evaluation Theory. The participants were six long distance runners with international experience. Qualitative data was collected using semi-structured interviews regarding the athletes' motivational experiences. Following inductive analysis, four general dimensions were established: athlete's uninfluenced training motivation; athlete's uninfluenced competition motivation; coaching behaviours impact on athlete's training motivation; and coaching behaviours impact on competition motivation. The findings revealed that coaching behaviours are typically consistent with the current motivational research [1–4] and the role of the coach is more important for an athlete's training motivation rather than competition motivation. Education of coaches in the correct use of motivational behaviours is therefore recommended, if athletes are to fulfill their abilities.

Attitudes of primary health care physician managers toward research: a pre-experimental study

Research in primary health care (PHC) is underdeveloped and scarce, especially in developing countries. It is important to understand the attitudes and aspirations of PHC physicians for the promotion of research. The aim of this study was to determine the attitudes of PHC physician managers toward research in Qassim province and to identify barriers that impede performing research in the PHC system. The study was based on social cognitive theory framework, and was pre-experimental with a 'one-group pre-test-post-test' design. The study participants were physician managers in PHC administration, Qassim. The participants' attitudes were measured by adapting statements from the Attitude Towards Research scale. The intervention was the 1-day training program 'Introduction to Research in Primary Health Care'. A total of 23 PHC physicians participated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 45.4 (±1.6) years, and the mean years of work experience was 16.2 (±2.2) years. Only one participant had an article published in a peer-reviewed journal. The results of the study showed that PHC physicians had a baseline positive attitude toward research that was further enhanced after participating in an introductory research-training program. During the pre-test, out of the total score of 63, the mean score on attitude toward research was 48.35 (±6.8) while the mean total attitude score in the post-test was 49.7 (±6.6). However, the difference was not statistically significant at P<0.05. The item with the highest score regarded the role of research in the improvement of health care services, while the lowest-scoring item was about support from administration to conduct research. The participants recognised lack of skills, lack of training and inadequate resources as major barriers in conducting research. Our study results suggest that the PHC physicians' positive attitudes toward research can be further improved through in-service training. To promote research in PHC in Qassim, regular research-training programs and incentives for conducting research should be provided to the PHC physicians.

Weight Gain Prevention for College Freshmen: Comparing Two Social Cognitive Theory-Based Interventions with and without Explicit Self-Regulation Training

The college transition represents a critical period for maintaining a healthy weight, yet intervention participation and retention represent significant challenges. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the preliminary efficacy and acceptability of two interventions to prevent freshman weight gain. One intervention provided opportunities to improve outcome expectations and self-efficacy within a social cognitive theory framework (SCT), while the other targeted the same variables but focused on explicit training in self-regulation skills (SCTSR). Methods. Freshmen (n = 45) aged >18 years were randomized to a 14-week intervention, SCT or SCTSR; both included online modules and in-class meetings. Of the 45 students randomized, 5 withdrew before the classes began and 39 completed pre- and posttesting. Primary outcomes included body weight/composition, health behaviors, and program acceptability. Analyses included independent sample t-tests, repeated measures ANOVA, and bivariate correlational analyses. Results. Body weight increased over the 14-week period, but there was no group difference. Percent body fat increased in SCTSR but not SCT (mean difference: SCTSR, +1.63 ± 0.52%; SCT, −0.25 ± 0.45%; P = 0.01). Class attendance was 100% (SCTSR) and 98% (SCT); SCTSR students (>50%) remarked that the online tracking required “too much time.” Conclusions. The intervention was well received, although there were no improvements in weight outcomes.

Farmers use intuition to reinvent analytic decision support for managing seasonal climatic variability

The FARMSCAPE Information System emerged in a long-running research program aimed at making simulation models useful to Australian farmers in managing climatic variability. This paper is about how well it has worked. This is reported in relation to two standards: (1) the value to thinking and action expressed by farmers and their consultants, (2) correspondence with theory about learning and judgement in uncertain external environments. The former utilises recorded narrative interviews with participants over many years. The latter uses a cognitive framework drawn from theory of judgment and decision making featuring the relationship between intuition and analysis (McCown, 2011).The cognitive theory framework makes sense of several evaluation surprises. The first was high enthusiasm by largely-intuitive farmers for an analytic approach to soil water in conjunction with a newly-appreciated “bucket” metaphor for water balance. The second surprise was the virtual absence of soil water measurement 10years later. This had been replaced by various intuitive estimates, calibrated to maintain a heuristic relationship with regard to the “bucket” as a resource.Farmers and their advisers were facilitated in using simulation for thought experiments and planning under climatic uncertainty. Benchmarking enabled problem solving in documented conditions. Scenario analysis using historical climate records supported thought experiments by providing probability distributions that were valued for shaping expectations as a “history of the future”. In retrospective evaluation interviews, researchers were surprised to find that yield forecasting and tactical decision making, anticipated to be analyses that were both site- and season-specific forecasts, had served farmers as “management gaming” simulations to aid formulating action rules for such conditions, thus reducing the need for an on-going decision-aiding service. Equipped with their soil monitoring techniques and with their heuristic rules, farmers still reserved a place for simulation “when you’ve got a planting situation out of the ordinary.”

African American Women and Weight Loss

In the United States, almost 80% of African American women are either overweight or obese. In this study, 46 low-income African American women struggling with weight issues participated in structured interviews using a social cognitive theory framework. Participants shared their social cognitive theory related weight loss thoughts and their perceived weight loss obstacles. Results suggest that although participants' primary weight-related obstacles were environment-based, for example, unsafe environments in which to engage in regular exercise, they more often offered individual-based solutions. The study concludes with a discussion of media advocacy as a tool that can be used to promote environmental solutions.

Modeling Initiation into Drug Injection among Street Youth

This study aimed at examining the predictors of initiation into drug injection among street youth using social cognitive theory framework. A prospective cohort study based on semi-annual interviews was carried out. Psychosocial determinants referred to avoidance of initiation. Other potential predictors were: sociodemographic characteristics, relationships with injectors, parent's substance misuse, drug use patterns, homelessness, survival sex, sexual abuse. Independent predictors were identified using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Among the 352 participants, high control beliefs about avoidance of initiation was protective while younger age, daily alcohol consumption, heroin use, cocaine use, and survival sex all increased risk of initiation. Preventive strategies targeting street youth should both enhance youth's control beliefs and actual control over their substance use and improve their life conditions.

Core Self-Evaluations, Career Decision Self-Efficacy, and Vocational Identity Among Greek Adolescents

This study explored the mediating role of career decision self-efficacy between core self-evaluations (CSE), a newly established construct within the personality domain, and adolescents’ vocational identity. Using a sample of 200 Greek high school students, it was found that for female adolescents CSE influenced vocational identity both directly and indirectly (via career decision self-efficacy). For male students, CSE had only an indirect effect on vocational identity through career decision self-efficacy. The findings are discussed with reference to social cognitive career theory (SCCT) framework. Implications for research and adolescents’ career counseling are also discussed.