Perception Of Pleasure Research Articles

Cancer Survivors Report Positive Affect during High-Intensity Group Based Exercise

PURPOSE: In rehabilitating populations, concerns arise with sustaining and adhering to popular group exercise programs of increased intensity due to the physically demanding requirements. Positive affect values like pleasure improve the likelihood of engaging in exercise behaviors. High-intensity functional training (HIFT) is a group-based exercise method of combined aerobic and resistance training functional exercises completed at relative high intensities. This study investigated effects of a HIFT program on cancer survivors’ perceptions of pleasure to predict efficacy and adherence. METHODS: Eight cancer survivors (53.5±5.0y, 75% female) participated in a 5-week, 3 days/week HIFT intervention, consisting of 12 workouts (WODS). For three pre-selected WODs, participants self-reported changes in mood/pleasure via the Feeling Scale (FS) from -5 (very bad) to +5 (very good); arousal via the Felt Arousal Scale (FAS) from 1 (very lowly) through 6 (very highly) aroused; and Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) via the Borg scale from 6 (resting) to 20 (maximal) at 6 times (after the warm-up, after ¼, ½, and ¾ of the WOD, immediately after the WOD, and after cool-down). Heart rate (HR) was assessed with Polar Pro-trainers throughout. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine within-measurement differences over time. Correlation analysis was used to compare RPE and HR for 2 exercise sessions. RESULTS: Average FS ratings ranged 1.3 to 3.4 indicating that mood remained positive throughout the session. Average RPE peaked immediately after the WOD and ranged from 6.9 to 15.5. Average predicted HRmax% for age was 80.2+/- 0.9 % throughout the WOD. There was main effect for changes in FAS over time, F(2,1)=16.0, p<.001, where the first measurement was significantly lower than all following measurements. There were significant main effects for changes in RPE, F(2,1)=43.2, p<.001, and HR, F(5,1)=74.8, p<.001, over time. Both were positively correlated, r=.97, p=.001 and had significantly greater values during the WOD than warm-up or cool-down. CONCLUSIONS: Improved FS during HIFT contrasts with previous research showing that pleasure decreases as physiological work demands reach high intensity. These data show that cancer survivors can sustain and even find high intensity exercise enjoyable.

Using the sustainable modified TAM and TPB to analyze the effects of perceived green value on loyalty to a public bike system

This article explores the effects of perceived green value, perceived green usefulness, perceived pleasure to use, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control on green loyalty to a public bike system. The mediators between perceived green value and green loyalty and a moderator of general attitude toward protecting the natural environment are also discussed. The aim of this research was to understand how to establish green loyalty via the other dimensions based on the sustainable modified technology acceptance model (modified TAM), the theory of planned behavior (TPB), and a moderator. The findings reveal that perceived pleasure to use and subjective norms have the strongest power to influence loyalty for both users and non-users. The implications of this finding are that fun in people’s lives has a strong influence on sustainable continuous use of public bikes, and that subjective norms are more effective for non-users. In addition, environmental attitude has stronger moderating effects for non-users than for users on perceived green usefulness, perceived pleasure and subjective norms. Therefore, governmental policies should promote the attitude of protecting the natural environment, perceptions of pleasure, and subjective norms so as to increase green loyalty to public bike-sharing.

CONSCIOUS PERCEPTION OF BEAUTY AND AESTHETIC EDUCATION

When presented to the audiences, the artistic character of an artwork can only express the face value of that artwork. Analysis does not provide understanding of sentimental and artistic values in the deeps of artwork, and it just reveals the displayable situation of work. Aesthetic that aims at getting the bottom of work attempts to solve the things told based on the object exhibited. Being in a struggle for understanding this telling is a thinking system that has been continuing since the early ages. Aesthetic perception is the development of skill to perceive the pleasure created by an object or a fact on person. It is accepted that aesthetic is related to understanding the art. Understanding the art requires to search the affect envisaged by objects which we call as the work of art or to incline to the perceptual problems. Aesthetic understanding and creation of perception, order from the aspect to environment, simplicity in questioning skill, reaching to the aesthetic acquisition which gains selectivity in the capacity of perception and perception of pleasure are possible with aesthetic which is the basis of art education. Aesthetic education is a necessary factor for the discipline to be gained in artistic perception. This study discussed the importance of aesthetic education that could develop aesthetic perception.

Ecological evidence that affect and perceptions of drink effects depend on alcohol expectancies.

(1) To compare affective changes over drinking and non-drinking days among frequent drinkers and (2) to evaluate whether drinkers' expectations influence affective changes and perceived pleasure and relief from drinking. Observational study involving ecological momentary assessments collected via electronic diaries during the course of 3 weeks. Drinkers' usual settings in Columbia, MO, USA. A total of 400 adult, frequent drinkers, aged 18-70 years. Ecological assessments included morning reports, pre-drinking random prompts, user-initiated first-drink reports and device-prompted follow-ups over drinking episodes. Participants rated positive (enthusiastic, excited, happy) and negative (distressed, sad) affect and perceived pleasure and relief from drinking in real time. A self-report questionnaire completed at baseline evaluated expectancies for enhanced sociability and tension reduction from drinking. Relative to affective changes over non-drinking days, positive affect increased prior to drinking [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.004, 0.023], and at first drink (95% CI = 0.238, 0.317), whereas negative affect decreased prior to drinking (95% CI = - 0.007, 0.000) and at first drink (95% CI = - 0.154, - 0.098). Sociability expectancies augmented increases in positive affect prior to drinking (95% CI = 0.009, 0.027) and at first drink (95% CI = 0.017, 0.169). Sociability expectancies also enhanced perceived pleasure from first drinks (95% CI = 0.046, 0.318). Tension-reduction expectancies attenuated decreases in negative affect at first drink (95% CI = - 0.133, - 0.029), but augmented perceived relief from first drinks (95% CI = 0.001, 0.304). Although theoretical models tend to focus on negative affective outcomes of drinking, changes in positive affect prior to drinking and early in drinking episodes are important for maintaining drinking behavior. Frequent drinkers' expectations for enhanced sociability or tension reduction from drinking influence their affective experiences over drinking days and perceptions of pleasure and relief from drinking.

Music and health: what interventions for what results?

Music and health: what interventions for what results?

The pleasures of the past: history and identity in the early Middle Ages

The theme of ‘pleasure’ chosen for the 2013 Leeds International Medieval Congress celebrated not only concepts and perceptions of pleasure in the past, but also our fundamental intellectual enjoyment of the study of the past. Those whom medievalists study also engaged with the past at many levels and for many reasons, which included the sheer pleasure of it. In particular, the place of Rome in the historical imagination of the people of early medieval Europe is reflected in many sources, both textual and material. The particular use made of the resources of the past, and the cultural affiliations thereby proclaimed, together offer one composite expression of identity. That identity in its turn contributes to the essential sense of harmony and consequential pleasure in knowing one's place in time and space. I offer four examples by way of illustration of these creative uses of the resources of the past. I further propose that the perception of Rome is a significantly striking aspect of the engagement with the past in the early Middle Ages and had a crucial impact on the subsequent place of the Roman past in the cultural memory of Latin Europe as a whole. I consider the degree to which changes in the representation and understanding of the Roman past might have shaped or had an impact on the identity of those in Rome and responsible for writing history.

Treatment of depression with deep brain stimulation works by altering in specific ways the conscious perception of the core symptoms of sadness or anhedonia, not by modulating network circuitry

An important advance in the management of treatment-resistant depression has recently been reported: deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subgenual cingulate (Brodmann area 25 or Cg 25) or the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). These treatments produce a response rate, meaning significant clinical improvement, of about 50%, but only a few patients are returned completely to normal. The authors of these papers generally attribute the therapeutic response to restoration of an altered or perturbed neural network. In contrast, the idea advanced here is that DBS works by altering conscious perception of the core symptoms of sadness and anhedonia, not by modulating network circuitry. In the case of Cg25, the crucial thing about this site is that it is where conscious perception of sadness localizes. However, the stimulus frequency of DBS (130Hz) was too fast to support consciousness, which is associated with gamma frequencies (35–85Hz). Therefore, the imposed rapid frequency instantaneously blocked the subjective experience of sadness. In the case of the NAcc, the treatment worked by stimulating hot zones in the NAcc, which, in animal models, are known to intensify the perception of pleasure. This magnifier effect on the perception of pleasure was able to alleviate anhedonia. The response was not instantaneous but could begin within hours. In both cases, patients’ realization that a core symptom had been relieved led to a moderate overall improvement in other symptoms.

The impact of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy on perceptions of pleasure and enjoyable activity: A service evaluation

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is known to improve perceptions of quality of life (QoL) for people with dementia (e.g. Spector et al., 2003). The Quality of Life-Alzheimer’s Disease scale (QoL-AD; Logsdon et al., 1999) has often been used as an outcome measure for CST groups due to its good psychometric properties and brevity. However, we wondered whether other tools may be helpful in capturing meaningful ‘micro-level’ changes in social engagement and enjoyment that constitute one’s sense of QoL. The California Older Person’s Pleasurable Events Schedule (COPPES; Gallagher-Thompson, Thompson &amp; Rider, 2004) measures both the amount of activity one engages in and the level of pleasure derived from the activity in question. It was wondered whether the COPPES could enable clinicians to identify potentially meaningful changes in the amount of activity and perceived levels of enjoyment following CST. A service evaluation of 12 participants from a total of three CST groups held at the Brent Memory Service revealed an increase in the reported frequency of activity on the COPPES following intervention [t(11)=–3.45, p&lt;0.001]. Additionally there was an increase in reported pleasure following the CST group [t(11)=–8.55, p&lt;0.001). The usefulness of the COPPES as a measure of assessing specific aspects of QoL for people with dementia is discussed.

The basal ganglia and movement disorders.

Brain Update provides practicing nurses with featured aspects of brain biology. PPC offers this feature in an effort to enable nurses to integrate brain biology into their practice. The purpose of this column is to focus on the biological causes of mental illness. Topics of future columns will include the limbic system, the extraphyramidal system, and the role of biology in schizophrenia. Key words: Basal ganglia, caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, lentiform nucleus, putamen, striatum The basal ganglia are a group of subcortical nuclei that lie below the outer rim of brain gray matter. The basal ganglia are composed of three major nuclei: the caudate nucleus, the putamen, and the globus pallidus (Figure 1). Other authors include the subthalamic and substantia nigra nuclei (Kandler, Schwartz, & Jessell, 1991). The caudate and putamen are collectively referred to as the striatum, while the putamen and globus pallidus are referred to as the lentiform nucleus. The basal ganglia, which are located deep within the brain, bridge the cerebral cortex, the diencephalon (various thalamic nuclei), and the midbrain. Visible only when the brain is cut, the basal ganglia are rich both with afferent and efferent projections. Most input (afferent) projections arise from the cerebral cortex, while output (efferent) projections are directed first to the thalamus and then to the prefrontal, premotor, and motor areas of the cortex (Albin, Young, & Penney, 1995; Zweig, 1995). These connections are named in such a way as to identify the beginning and ending point of a particular projection. For example, the striatopallidal pathway begins in the striatum and ends in the globus pallidus; the nigrostriatal pathway begins in the substantia nigra and projects to the striatum. These extensive connections and interconnections form a generous network of parallel loops, which underscores the interdependence of these afferent and efferent pathways. Functions of the Basal Ganglia Brooks (1995) lists several functions of the basal ganglia: 1) preparation for movement, 2) inhibition of unwanted movement, 3) adaptation to novel circumstances, 4) facilitation of reward actions, and 5) promotion of motor learning and planning. Given that basal ganglia projections reach the prefrontal, premotor, and motor cortices, the dysfunctions associated with basal ganglia pathology have clarified that these nuclei are part of the extrapyramidal system. The pyramidal system, or corticospinal tract, begins in the motor area of the cortex and is responsible for voluntary movement. The extrapyramidal system supports the pyramidal system primarily through the preparation for and execution of movement (Middleton & Strick, 1994). Movement disorders occur when extrapyramidal influences are lifted. Basal ganglia also may facilitate reward activities of the brain. Apparently, the use of cocaine affects the uptake and release of basal ganglia catecholamines, including dopamine (Graybiel, 1995). Catecholamine flooding causes intense perceptions of pleasure and is addicting in the broader sense of the word. The basal ganglia, with their rich connectivity to frontal areas, also play a role in cognitive function. Verbal fluency, card sorting, planning, and spatial and digit working memory are impaired in clients with known basal ganglia deficits (e.g., parkinsonism) (Brooks, 1995). Graybiel (1995) ponders whether movement disorders have analogues in thought control disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Tics, a group of stereotyped repetitive motor disorders that have both motor and cognitive components, are sometimes associated with OCD (Albin et al., 1995). For example, uncontrolled verbal obscenities are part of the symptoms found in clients with Tourette's syndrome. Disorders of the Basal Ganglia Most knowledge of basal ganglia function stems from postmortem examination of basal ganglia nuclei in Parkinson and Huntington's disorder clients. …

T03-O-15 Analysis of psycho-sexual experience in women with genital mutilation

Objective The pilot research purpose is to investigate psychological, sexual and relationship dynamics of women with female genital mutilation (FGM). These dynamics would the mutilation experience and affect the women ‘physical handicap’. Moreover, the study looks into the following topics: 1. Emotional conflicts; 2. Psychological and sexual consequences of the ‘occidental meaning’ of mutilation; 3. Pain and pleasure perception; 4. Sexual satisfaction/dissatisfaction; 5. Sentimental relationship quality as an intervening variable. Method and material The sample is composed by 30 women with FGM. Voluntary participants were equally distributed between clinical/no-clinical context. The semistructured interview investigated 16 thematic areas and was designed to explore the study aims. Data were analysed with a qualitative method. Results The FGM is characterized by contrasted emotions, even though does not causes psychological significant side effects. In the immigration context, the loss of ‘original meaning’ of mutilation leads to potential psychopathological effects. Unexpectedly, sexual experiences are defined by positive feelings, however, the sample can be divided in two different groups: 1. Women who are closely connected to traditional values, are ‘normally’ satisfied; their sexuality is ‘sublimated’ into maternity and sentimental attachment. 2. Women who ‘decided to unlock themselves’ to occidental values, if sentimentally sustained, feel a whole sexual pleasure. Conclusions FGM do not prevent sexuality from being fulfilling. Despite the impossibility to generalize these results and the necessity to future researches in this topic, this investigation points out some protective variables (satisfying sentimental relationship, social/medical assistance, defibulation etc.). These factors are important in Psycho-Sexual Health Promotion of women with FGM.

Pleasure and Orgasm in Women with Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) violates human rights. FGM/C women's sexuality is not well known and often it is neglected by gynecologists, urologists, and sexologists. In mutilated/cut women, some fundamental structures for orgasm have not been excised. The aim of this report is to describe and analyze the results of four investigations on sexual functioning in different groups of cut women. semistructured interviews and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). 137 adult women affected by different types of FGM/C; 58 young FGM/C ladies living in the West; 57 infibulated women; 15 infibulated women after the operation of defibulation. The group of 137 women, affected by different types of FGM/C, reported orgasm in almost 86%, always 69.23%; 58 mutilated young women reported orgasm in 91.43%, always 8.57%; after defibulation 14 out of 15 infibulated women reported orgasm; the group of 57 infibulated women investigated with the FSFI questionnaire showed significant differences between group of study and an equivalent group of control in desire, arousal, orgasm, and satisfaction with mean scores higher in the group of mutilated women. No significant differences were observed between the two groups in lubrication and pain. Embryology, anatomy, and physiology of female erectile organs are neglected in specialist textbooks. In infibulated women, some erectile structures fundamental for orgasm have not been excised. Cultural influence can change the perception of pleasure, as well as social acceptance. Every woman has the right to have sexual health and to feel sexual pleasure for full psychophysical well-being of the person. In accordance with other research, the present study reports that FGM/C women can also have the possibility of reaching an orgasm. Therefore, FGM/C women with sexual dysfunctions can and must be cured; they have the right to have an appropriate sexual therapy.

Virtue Ethics

Virtue Ethics Ben Lazare Mijuskovic California State University, Dominguez Hills It has been suggested that the roots of virtue or character ethics ultimately reach back to Plato and especially to Aristotle's discussion of moral character as proposed by G. E. M. Anscombe's essay, "Modern Moral Philosophy," originally published in 1958.1 Thus it was maintained that virtue or character ethics emphasized traditionally neglected topics, such as motives, education, training, temperance (phronesis), happiness, (eudaimonia), magnanimity, and especially the cardinal virtue of friendship as all deriving from certain dispositional qualities in the person, from a relatively constant state of character, from a stable personality.2 In terms of Plato, it is the early, aporetic, Socratic dialogues that are indicated as especially concerned with character. And that may be but clearly in these conversations Socrates concludes, as a negative revelation, that a condition for virtue (Virtue as Knowledge of the Good) requires the realization that one does not know what virtue is, that conceited ignorance (amathia) first must be recognized before proceeding positively toward the unchanging Form of Goodness. And just as certainly, although, in the Republic, Socrates does emphasize the relation of happiness to justice, nevertheless it is fairly obvious that for Plato the truly happy and just man is so only in so far as he is able to intellectually and intuitively grasp the eternal Form of the Good as his criterion. However, this is hardly an emphasis on character. Similarly, we can say that as far as Aristotle is concerned, despite the fact that he does focus on the dispositional attributes of a virtuous or happy [End Page 133] character (or life), nevertheless the Philosopher is very specific in stating that there is an absolutely right thing to do in each circumstance and it is grounded in the mean between two vices. The mean, for instance, between cowardice and rashness is courage. Thus, there is an absolute (albeit contextual) criterion for a boy, a girl, a man, a woman, an old man, an old woman, etc., an objective measure for each in various situations requiring courage. This standard, which is based in the immediate perception of pleasure or pain, which directly follows an act, may be developed by training; but certainly Aristotle has more to say about the mean and how to achieve it than he does about training, except for the brief statements that we become virtuous by doing virtuous acts and good by the practically wise choices we make. Thus, for Aristotle, it is possible to evaluate specific, particular acts by invoking the measure of the mean. Essentially for both Plato and Aristotle, the criteria "subsist" independently of the act, person or polis. Hence, both Plato and Aristotle remain predominantly rule-oriented. By contrast, in Homerian ethics—as opposed to Platonic or Peripatetic guidelines—it is the whole person who is admirable, not the act; it is the "being" of Achilles, it is his "substance" that is praiseworthy and not whether or not he weeps for his departed companion. It is the entire man that expresses the standard of value. And just as obviously there are times and instances when an agent or an action misses the Aristotelian mark or the "mean" and yet we do not criticize the individual as either morally or psychologically deficient precisely because we consider instead the overall person, we take other factors into consideration, features deeply embedded in his or her personality, including how he or she handled the situation and not whether or not the individual measured up to some abstract, independent, theoretical standard. The noble or laudable hero or heroine does not concern himself or herself with dissecting and separating himself or heself from their actions, from their motives or emotions, as if the latter could stand apart from themselves. And thus it appears to be a mistake to think that the Homeric character would obsess about either the consistency, conformity, or applicability of a rule in regard to their actions and responses. And here we might interject an interesting...

Arousal expectations and service evaluations

PurposeThis paper aims to test a theoretical framework that explains arousal congruency effects on consumer perceptions of intrinsically pleasant service environments.Design/methodology/approachA 3 (low and high target‐arousal manipulation plus control group) by 3 (low, medium and high actual arousal) true experimental design was used to test our research hypotheses in a café context. The research methodology involved video simulations and role‐playing instructions.FindingsThe findings from our experiment indicate that that an intrinsically attractive store environment can be perceived as unpleasant if it fails to match the consumer's desired level of stimulation (arousal congruency). Similar congruency effects were found for satisfaction with the experience. The control group, on the other hand, responded positively to all levels of actual arousal, thus suggesting that arousal expectations are an important moderator of customer evaluations of service environments.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study suggest that an intrinsically pleasant service environment might not be enough to guarantee pleasure and satisfaction. Specifically, the amount of pleasure and satisfaction derived from the service experience might be dependent on the degree of congruency between consumers' target‐arousal levels and the actual arousal levels of the service environment. High arousal congruency would greatly enhance consumers' perceptions of pleasure and satisfaction, while high arousal incongruency would adversely affect the level of pleasure and satisfaction derived.Originality/valueThis paper advances and tests a theoretical framework that explains arousal congruency effects on consumer perceptions of intrinsically pleasant service environments.

The pleasurable recreational activities among community-dwelling older adults

This study aimed to clarify what pleasurable recreational activities older adults like to participate in, and to investigate the relationship between those activities and quality of life (QOL). Questionnaires were delivered to older residents (65 years and above) in a Japanese rural area. The residents’ background information, the amount of pleasure for various activities, and the QOL were surveyed. The QOL was evaluated by the revised Philadelphia Geriatric Center (PGC) morale scale. The amount of pleasure taken in a majority of the activities, such as conversation with family or neighbors showed a significant association with the happiness score, but only a few activities showed significant association between the revised PGC morale scale and the amount of pleasure. The multiple regression analyses indicated that the amount of pleasure in exercise, the difficulty in managing finances, and amount of pleasure taken in watching TV were significant variables for predicting the happiness score. The results indicated that the amount of pleasure older adults experienced when engaging in activities such as conversation with family or neighbors showed significant association with the older adults’ happiness. These results may be helpful in understanding contributions of various activities to the perception of pleasure in older adults.

Perceived Benefits And Barriers Of Physical Activity In Normal-weight, Overweight And Obese Adolescents

PURPOSE This study investigated differences in physical activity and benefits/barriers towards physical activity in adolescents with different degree of overweight and explored whether the prediction of physical activity by benefits/barriers was moderated by level of overweight. METHODS Subjects were divided into a normal-weight group (NW) (N = 37, 18.8 ± 1.2 kg/m2), an overweight group (OW) (N = 28, 25.9 ± 1.3 kg/m2) and an obese group (OB) (N = 24, 33.7 ± 4.1 kg/m2) according to the IOTF cut offs for overweight and obesity in children. Mean age was 14.6 ± 1.2 yrs, with 72% girls. Physical activity was estimated using the Baecke Questionnaire. Benefits and barriers were assessed on a 5-point Likert scale using a validated questionnaire. ANOVA's were conducted to determine differences between groups, a moderated multiple regression analysis was executed to investigate whether degree of overweight moderated the association between benefits/barriers and level of physical activity. RESULTS Participation in sports was higher in NW compared to OW (p <.05) and OB (p <.01) subjects (NW: 3.1 ± 0.7, OW: 2.7 ±0.7, OB: 2.5 ± 0.5). Pleasure was a less important reason to be active for the OB than for the OW or NW (p <.001) (NW: 4.5 ±0.8, OW: 4.2 ± 1.1, OB: 3.4 ± 1.2), whereas loosing weight was a bigger motivator for the OW and OB (p <.001)(NW: 2.6 ± 1.5, OW: 3.9 ± 1.1, OB: 3.7 ± 1.5). Other benefits (social, health, competition) showed similar scores in all groups. NW subjects perceived less barriers (physical complaints, not being good at it, insecure about appearance, not liking it) than their OW (p <.05) and OB (p <.001) counterparts (NW: 1.6 ± 0.7, OW: 2.1 ± 0.8, OB: 2.5 ± 0.5). Level of overweight explained 8% of the variance in the sport index. Further, the sport index was significantly predicted by higher perceptions of pleasure as a benefit of being physically active (β = 0.26, p <.05) and by lower perceptions of dislike as a barrier (β = −0.38, p <.001). Level of overweight and perceived benefits/barriers together explained 33% of the variance in the sport index. The association between sport participation and benefits/barriers was not moderated by level of overweight (R2 change = .05, n.s.). CONCLUSION OW and OB adolescents showed lower sport participation. NW adolescents were more intrinsically motivated to be physically active, whereas the OB were more extrinsically motivated. Barriers which were more frequently perceived by OB subjects were specific to their weight problem. One potentially effective way to increase continued participation in sports in youngsters with weight problems is to increase intrinsic motives by offering fun activities tailored to their capabilities and interests.

Perceptions of Daily Life Among Residnets of a Long Term Care Facility

Little is known about the perceptions held by resi- dents of long term care facilities regarding their daily experiences and the role that structured activities may play in their daily lives. In the present exploratory study, residents (N = 16) of a long term care facility were asked to participate in intensive interviews and a subsample (N = 5) was asked to participate in the experience sam- pling method (ESM). The ESM involved residents reporting their activity involvement and perceptions of pleasure and choice at sev- eral random times each day for four to SIX days. Findings regarding residents' perceptions of leasurable experiences, choices, control, practice are discussed. J and constraints m daily I' e are presented. Possible implications for

Pleasure: the common currency

At present as physiologists studying various homeostatic behaviors, such as thermoregulatory behavior and food and fluid intake, we have no common currency that allows us to equate the strength of the motivational drive that accompanies each regulatory need, in terms of how an animal or a person will choose to satisfy his needs when there is a conflict between two or more of them. Yet the behaving organism must rank his priorities and needs a common currency to achieve the ranking (McFarland & Sibly, 1975, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. 270 Biol 265-293). A theory is proposed here according to which pleasure is this common currency. The perception of pleasure, as measured operationally and quantitatively by choice behavior (in the case of animals), or by the rating of the intensity of pleasure or displeasure (in the case of humans) can serve as such a common currency. The tradeoffs between various motivations would thus be accomplished by simple maximization of pleasure. In what follows, the scientific work arising recently on this subject, with be reviewed briefly and our recent experimental findings will be presented. This will serve as the support for the theoretical position formulated in this essay.

Understanding Attributions of Victim Blame for Rape: Sex, Violence, and Foreseeability1

We examined why persons blame some rape victims more than others. In two experiments, college students read nine rape descriptions and assigned blame for each incident. Students were randomly assigned to read only one version of each description in which we manipulated a variety of variables thought to influence victim blame. In addition, participants rated whether each assault victim might have derived sexual pleasure from the event (both experiments) and whether the victim should have foreseen the event (Experiment 2). Across experiments, variations within several of the rape descriptions (e.g., victim respectability, assault “enjoyment”) produced differences in victim blaming. More importantly, in Experiment 1, judgments of whether the victim experienced sexual pleasure strongly predicted blame attributions. In Experiment 2, regression analyses demonstrated that both perceptions of pleasure and foreseeability predicted victim blaming within and across incidents. On the basis of these data, we propose an explanation of victim blaming for rape that relies on two theoretical variables: intentions and foreseeability. Neither the Defensive Attribution Hypothesis or the Just World Theory accounts for the findings, but the data generally fit Shaver's (1985) theory of the attribution of blame.

Impact of intrinsic motivation on competitive anxiety among wheelchair handball athletes

Motivation and anxiety have been a recurring theme of debates in sport and understand its relevance to competitive practice and the effects on athletes become essential. This study aimed to investigate the impact of intrinsic motivation on the anxiety of wheelchair handball (WH) athletes. The Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) and the Sport Anxiety Scale (SAS) were applied to 37 male athletes (34.18 ± 9.32 years), physically disabled, participating in the Brazilian WH championship. Data analysis was conducted through Shapiro Wilk test, Pearson correlation and Multiple Regression (p&lt;0.05). As a result, the subscales of intrinsic motivation showed high scores both in the subscales that contribute positively (Pleasure/Interest, Competence and Perception of effort), and in the subscale that contributes negatively (Pressure/Tension). Regarding the impact of motivation on competitive anxiety, the athlete feeling competent explained inversely 15% of the somatic anxiety variance. Competence had a negative impact and Pressure/Tension had a positive impact on the Concern subscale. In addition, the pleasure/Interest, Pressure/Tension and Perception of Effort subscales explained 31% of the variance of Concentration Disorder, indicating that the greater the perception of pleasure from practice and effort in the face of tasks, the less disturbances in concentration, and the higher the pressure/tension score (less pressure perception), the greater the disturbance of the athlete's concentration. It was concluded that intrinsic motivation is a determinant factor for the control of competitive anxiety in WH athletes.