University Psychology Research Articles

Associations of emotional/behavioral problems with accelerometer-measured sedentary behavior, physical activity and step counts in children with autism spectrum disorder.

BackgroundThe evidence for associations of emotional/behavioral status with sedentary behavior (SB), physical activity (PA) and step counts is scarce in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Also, ASD-related deficiencies may affect actual levels of PA. We aimed to describe accelerometer-measured SB, PA and step counts in children with ASD, and to examine the associations of emotional/behavioral problems with SB, PA and step counts after assessing associations between accelerometer-measured SB, PA and step counts and ASD-related deficiencies.MethodsA total of 93 ASD children, aged 6–9 years, were recruited from the Center for Child and Adolescent Psychology and Behavioral Development of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China. Participants wore an accelerometer for seven consecutive days. Of the original 93, 78 participants' accelerometer-measured valid PA were obtained, and the data were shown as time spent in SB, light, moderate, moderate-to-vigorous and vigorous PA, and step counts. Participants' emotional/behavioral problems were assessed via the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and anxiety symptoms were evaluated by the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED). ASD-associated deficiencies include restricted repetitive behaviors (Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised), poor social competence (Social Responsiveness Scale Second Edition) and motor development restrictions (Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire).ResultsOf the 78 participants, daily vigorous PA (VPA) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) averaged 15.62 and 51.95 min, respectively. After adjustment for covariates, SDQ emotional symptoms (β = −0.060, p = 0.028) were inversely associated with the average daily minutes in VPA. Meanwhile, SDQ emotional symptoms (β = −0.033, p = 0.016) were inversely associated with the average daily MVPA minutes in the crude model. After adjustment for covariates, SCARED somatic/panic (β = −0.007, p = 0.040) and generalized anxiety (β = −0.025, p = 0.014) were negatively associated with the average daily VPA minutes; SCARED total anxiety (β = −0.006, p = 0.029) was conversely associated with daily MVPA duration. After adjustment for covariates, no significant associations between accelerometer-measured SB, PA and step counts and ASD-related deficiencies were found (p > 0.05).ConclusionsAccelerometer-measured SB, PA and step counts showed no associations with ASD-related deficiencies. On this basis, we further found that the emotional symptoms were inversely associated with VPA and MVPA. These results emphasize the importance of VPA and MVPA in children with ASD. The longitudinally investigations on the directionality of these associations between emotional symptoms with VPA and MVPA are needed in the future.

Processing of Positive Memories Technique: Feedback From Trauma-Exposed Clients on Processing of Positive Memories Technique Components, Format, and Feasibility.

Although the majority of research and clinical interventions focused on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) centers on traumatic memories, recent literature suggests the importance of considering emotionally laden memories more broadly among trauma-exposed individuals. Specifically, trauma-exposed individuals have difficulties retrieving positive and negative memories, and interventions focused on enhancing the retrieval of both traumatic and positive memories benefit overall well-being. These findings led to the development of a novel Processing of Positive Memories Technique (PPMT) for PTSD. As the next step in treatment development, PPMT was piloted among 12 trauma-exposed community members seeking therapeutic or assessment services at a university psychology clinic. In this study, we summarize participants' quantitative and qualitative feedback on the content, format, and feasibility of PPMT. Next, we outline proposed formative changes that are critical to the iterative refinement of PPMT, based on the obtained feedback to enhance its scalability, feasibility, and effectiveness. Within clinical practice, PPMT, as implemented in this study, may be feasible, and there may be potential benefits to incorporating positive memory processing using PPMT.

Ethnoracial status, intersectionality with gender, and psychotherapy utilization, retention, and outcomes.

Psychotherapy access, utilization, retention, and effectiveness require continued improvement, especially for groups for whom availability and outcomes may be currently suboptimal, including ethnoracial minorities. Further, ethnoracial status' intersectionality with other identity variables (e.g., gender) may relate to structural barriers to care and effectiveness of care, an area in need of further research. The Florida State University Psychology Clinic, a low-cost population-facing treatment center, has routinely collected clinically relevant information on all consenting clients, including severity of clinical presentation at intake and over time, number of therapy sessions attended and of no-shows, premature termination, demographics, etc. A large sample of clients (N = 2,076; 57% women; 67.9% non-Hispanic White) on whom we collected and entered at least some data, though missing data were common, has accrued. We conducted chi-square tests to examine treatment utilization gaps, analysis of variance to measure differences in intake severity, and analysis of covariance to measure differences in treatment effectiveness. Based on the percentages of ethnoracial minority groups with mental disorders in the broader local community, we are falling short in outreach to Black clients, and when we do engage them, we retain them suboptimally. Once well engaged, however, results across groups suggest few differences in outcomes by ethnoracial status, gender, or their intersection. Ethnoracial match was associated with more sessions attended in Black people. Psychotherapy effectiveness has the potential to be optimized for everyone, and a promising direction in this regard is the case conceptualization of a cultural formulation interview and cultural humility mindset. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Attitude towards Scientific Research: Analysis of Psychology Students in Peru and Colombia

The attitude towards scientific research is an indicator of educational quality in university education. The objective of this research was to determine the attitude towards scientific research in university psychology students from Peru and Colombia. The research was descriptive, comparative and cross-sectional. The sample comprised 1150 students enrolled in universities in Peru (546) and Colombia (604), identified through convenience sampling. The General Research Attitude Index instrument, which was adapted for the study, was applied for data analysis. The high reliability of the instrument was verified with a Cronbach's Alpha of .935. Regarding the results, it was found that students from Colombia had a high predisposition towards research (41.7%) compared to students from Peru (29.9%). Regarding knowledge about research, students in both countries adequately valued that the university promoted the development of scientific production (52.6% in Colombia and 54.3% in Peru). Regarding the evaluation of the quality of university teaching, students in Colombia perceived a higher quality in their education (8.27 out of 10), the quality of the program in which they were enrolled (8.51 out of 10), and the infrastructure of their university (8.44 out of 10). It is concluded that students from Colombia show a better attitude towards research (M=73.79, SD=12.96) than students from Peru (M=70.64, SD=11.80). the study recommends teachers to possess a greater pertinence of knowledge and experience to motivate a favorable attitude towards research and ensure its visibility.

Strengths, weaknesseses, opportunities and threats of the Covid-19 outbreak in higher education from the perspective of students of the faculty of educational sciences and psychology in university of Tabriz

Strengths, weaknesseses, opportunities and threats of the Covid-19 outbreak in higher education from the perspective of students of the faculty of educational sciences and psychology in university of Tabriz

The Architecture of College Psychological Teaching Management System Based on Data Mining Technology

In order to meet the requirements of the development of educational informatization, combined with data mining technology, this article studies the architecture of the college psychological teaching management system. To experience the benefits brought by the Internet age, in order to further improve performance and meet the needs of the Internet information age, many colleges and universities have begun to strengthen the development of teaching management. Based on this background, this article proposes a standardized mode of mental health management in colleges and universities based on information technology. With the help of data warehouse and data mining technology, the ID3 algorithm, organizational rules, and other algorithms are used to develop a psychology subject evaluation system. Based on the improvement of grades and the behavioral characteristics of college students, this article formulates cross-platform operation rules, determines the B/S type as the normal state, and solves the best problem through comparison and selection. Then, a more specific system architecture design is carried out. The architecture of the software system selects the classic three-tier structure, which makes the client independent of the use platform and meets the requirements of user diversity and system portability. The design of functional modules such as the system fully meets the requirements of the ideological education management system for college students in the above analysis, with reasonable structure and clear logic. Finally, the advantages of the designed system architecture are summarized, including clarifying the grading idea of ideological education and training. It expands the transplantation ability of the system in a cross-platform way.

The Influence of Educational Psychology on Modern Art Design Entrepreneurship Education in Colleges.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between psychology and modern art design education in colleges, and to provide the basis for improving the quality of art education in colleges. Based on the relevant theory, the characteristics of educational psychology and art psychology and the correlation between them were analyzed from the angle of art education. According to the characteristics of college students' psychological development, the significance of art psychology-related courses was analyzed. Through the form of questionnaire, a total of 200 students (400 students in total) were randomly selected from Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts (professional art college) and Xi'an University of Science and Technology (comprehensive university), respectively. A total of 400 questionnaires were issued, and 382 valid questionnaires were recovered. The results show that almost all students in two colleges think pedagogy and educational psychology are the theoretical basis for art teachers, while less than one-third of students in Xi'an University of Science and Technology think that art psychology is the theoretical basis for art teachers. The difference between the students' aesthetic and life values in the two colleges is significant (p < 0.01). In the 15 directions of life values, there are significant differences in five directions: spirit—material (p < 0.05), enrichment—emptiness (p < 0.05), enthusiasm—apathy (p < 0.05), hope—despair (p < 0.01), and dedication—acceptance (p < 0.01). It shows that the psychological and values of college students are changeable, and the educators should pay attention to the education in the related fields of psychology. This exploration was conducted based on educational psychology, which is of great significance for improving the educational level of art psychology in colleges and enable students to form correct aesthetic standards and life values.

The Influence of Teacher Discipline on Teaching Effect and Students' Psychology in Universities and the Normative Suggestions for Discipline Behavior.

In today’s educational environment, with the popularization of laws, more and more students pay attention to the maintenance of their own rights. However, due to the misinterpretation of punishment, it is very easy to mistake teacher punishment for “corporal punishment.” Therefore, it is particularly important to investigate the impact of teacher discipline on students. This paper first collects some knowledge related to the research based on the research results of scholars, and then makes a detailed analysis of this research from two aspects. It, respectively, introduces the influence of teacher discipline on teaching effect and students’ psychology in universities, and the normative suggestions for discipline behavior in this paper. It then uses formulas to explain how the teaching and learning optimization algorithm works. Finally, it analyzes the changes among teachers’ discipline, students’ psychology, and coping style through experiments. The results showed that urban students had the highest probability of being disciplined for being late, at 53%, and the lowest probability of being disciplined for not completing homework, at 34%.

ВДОСКОНАЛЕННЯ СИСТЕМИ НАВЧАННЯ КЛАСИЧНОМУ ТАНЦЮ СТУДЕНТІВ-ХОРЕОГРАФІВ У ЗАКЛАДАХ ВИЩОЇ ОСВІТИ

The problem of reforming the training of modern teacher-choreographer is relevant today. It is due to changes in approaches and technologies of higher education, which should pay attention primarily to the formation of professionally significant qualities of graduates, expanding their artistic worldview, education of general choreographic culture. The professional skill of the future teacher of choreography is a combination of general pedagogical abilities with the art of reproduction of dance skills and abilities, and, therefore, requires comprehensive, long-term training in the system of pedagogical education. According to the concept of modernization of national education, the main purpose of vocational education is to train a skilled worker of the appropriate level, direction and profile; an employee who is competitive in the labor market, competent and responsible, who is fluent in his profession and is oriented in related activities; a person capable not only of effective work in the specialty at the level of world standards, but ready for continuous professional growth. Modern education involves not only the acquisition of knowledge, but also the formation of a harmoniously developed personality. Today, a university graduate must combine professionalism, a high level of culture, the ability to work in a team and with a team. The relevance of this article is that modern pedagogy of vocational education is faced with the need for in-depth study of human creativity, creating an educational environment that promotes creative activity of the individual. Regarding the process of higher education of a student choreographer, these tasks are specified in the need to develop special abilities and the formation of practical choreographic skills. In order to solve these problems, it is necessary to further improve the content of teaching, teaching methods, improve pedagogical, performing and choreography skills, actively develop scientific and methodological work. In the process of many years of pedagogical practice in the selection of methods of establishing the basis in classical dance, the author relies on the vast theoretical and practical experience of luminaries of classical dance A. Vaganova, M. Tarasov, as well as famous modern domestic scientist, choreographer, honored cultural worker of Ukraine, professor L. Tsvetkova. This technique, tested in practice, including teachers of the Department of Art Education, Faculty of Pedagogy, Psychology and Arts of the Volodymyr Vynnychenko Central Ukrainian State Pedagogical University gives positive results in the preparation of graduates and their further employment.

Mental Health of Czech University Psychology Students: Negative Mental Health Attitudes, Mental Health Shame and Self-Compassion

High rates of mental health problems are a growing concern in Czech higher education, negatively impacting students’ performance and wellbeing. Despite the serious nature of poor mental health, students often do not seek help because of negative attitudes and shame over mental health problems. Recent mental health research reports self-compassion is strongly associated with better mental health and reduced shame. However, relationships between those constructs remain to be evaluated among Czech students. This study aims to appraise the relationships between mental health problems, negative mental health attitudes, mental health shame, and self-compassion in this population. An opportunity sample of 119 psychology students from a Czech university completed questionnaires regarding these constructs. Correlation, regression, and path analyses were conducted. Mental health problems were positively associated with negative mental health attitudes and shame, and negatively associated with self-compassion. Self-compassion negatively predicted mental health problems, while negative attitudes and shame did not. Last, self-compassion fully mediated the negative attitudes-mental health problems relationship, and partially mediated the shame-mental health problems relationship. Findings suggest self-compassion is essential for mental health in Czech students and associated with negative mental health attitudes and mental health shame. Czech universities can benefit from incorporating self-compassion training into their curricula to protect students’ mental health.

The Testing Effect in University Teaching: Using Multiple-Choice Testing to Promote Retention of Highly Retrievable Information

Background Retrieval practice promotes retention of learned information more than restudying the information. However, benefits of multiple-choice testing over restudying in real-world educational contexts and the role of practically relevant moderators such as feedback and learners’ ability to retrieve tested content from memory (i.e., retrievability) are still underexplored. Objective The present research examines the benefits of multiple-choice questions with an experimental design that maximizes internal validity, while investigating the role of feedback and retrievability in an authentic educational setting of a university psychology course. Method After course sessions, students answered multiple-choice questions or restudied course content and afterward could choose to revisit learning content and obtain feedback in a self-regulated way. Results Participants on average obtained corrective feedback for 9% of practiced items when practicing course content. In the criterial test, practicing retrieval was not superior to reading summarizing statements in general but a testing effect emerged for questions that targeted information that participants could easily retrieve from memory. Conclusion Feedback was rarely sought. However, even without feedback, participants profited from multiple-choice questions that targeted easily retrievable information. Teaching Implications Caution is advised when employing multiple-choice testing in self-regulated learning environments in which students are required to actively obtain feedback.

Promoting an agentic orientation: An intervention in university psychology and physical science courses.

Promoting an agentic orientation: An intervention in university psychology and physical science courses.

Traumatic brain injury in precariously housed persons: Incidence and risks.

SummaryBackgroundHomeless and precarious housed persons are particularly prone to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), but existent incidence rates are hampered by poor case acquisition. We rigorously documented TBIs in precariously housed persons transitioning in and out of homelessness.MethodsBetween December 2016 and May 2018, 326 precariously housed participants enrolled in a longitudinal study in Vancouver, Canada were assessed monthly for TBI occurrences after education on sequelae. Over one participant-year, 2433 TBI screenings were acquired for 326 person-years and variables associated with odds of incident TBI were evaluated.FindingsOne hundred participants acquired 175 TBIs, yielding an observed incidence proportion of 30·7% and event proportion of 53·7%. Of the injured, 61% reported one TBI and 39% reported multiple injuries. Acute intoxication was present for more than half of the TBI events assessed. Additionally, 9·7% of TBI events occurred in the context of a drug overdose. Common injury mechanisms were falls (45·1%), assaults (25·1%), and hitting one's head on an object (13·1%). In this community-based but non-randomly recruited sample, exploratory analyses identified factors associated with odds of an incident TBI over one year of follow-up, including: schizophrenia disorders (odds ratio (OR) = 0·43, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0·19, 0·94), role functioning (OR = 0·69, 95% CI 0·52, 0·91), opioid dependence (OR = 2·17, 95% CI 1·27, 3·72) and those reporting past TBIs (OR = 1·99, 95% CI 1·13, 3·52).InterpretationGiven the ubiquity of TBIs revealed in this precariously housed sample, we identify an underappreciated and urgent healthcare priority. Several factors modified the odds of incident TBI, which can facilitate investigations into targeted prevention efforts.FundingCanadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, William and Ada Isabelle Steel Research Fund, Simon Fraser University Vice-President Research Undergraduate Student Research Award and Simon Fraser University Psychology Department Research Grant.

Problems and Suggestions in the Selection and Appointment of College Psychological Commissars under the College Psychological Service System

As an indispensable part of the college psychological service system, college psychological Committee has gradually become the key content of college psychological work because of its wide coverage, strong comprehensiveness and high popularity. This paper analyzes and discusses the appointment and selection, competency and professional ability of college psychological commissars in the context of the college psychological service system, puts forward problems in the appointment dimension of college psychological commissars at present, and puts forward suggestions for the training system of psychological commissars, especially in the appointment and selection of psychological commissars, so as to enhance the overall advantages of the psychological committee system and truly give play to the advantages of the psychological committee system, So that it can better serve students' psychological work.

Преемственность идей комплексного изучения человека в работах ученых-психологов Герценовского университета

Преемственность идей комплексного изучения человека в работах ученых-психологов Герценовского университета

Exploration on the Application of Positive Psychology in the Work of College Psychological Committee Members: Taking Three Good Things as an Example

Positive psychology; Psychological committee member; Mental health

Supplemental Material for Promoting an Agentic Orientation: An Intervention in University Psychology and Physical Science Courses

Supplemental Material for Promoting an Agentic Orientation: An Intervention in University Psychology and Physical Science Courses

Reactive and Proactive Coping Behaviors in Russian First-Year Students: Diagnostics and Development Opportunities

The relevance of the study is determined by the role of the adaptation processes of first-year students to the university environment, which is the most important (preliminary) stage for: (a) their successful overcoming of various learning difficulties; (b) comfortable and constructive interaction with teachers and other students; and (c) search and application of adaptive behavior strategies due to new living conditions. The development of proactive coping is a key factor in the students efficient learning activity because it represents a platform for their personal growth. The aim of the study is to determine the possibilities of diagnostics and development of reactive and proactive coping behavior in first-year students. The study involved 272 first-year students at Pacific National University (including 136 students of an experimental group who sought help from the University Psychology Center in 2019 and 136 first-year volunteer students as a control group). The following methods were used for diagnostics: Proactive Coping Inventory (PCI) , adapted by E.P. Belinskaya et al., Ways of Coping Questionnaire by R. Lazarus, adapted by T.L. Kryukova et al., Hardiness Survey by Salvatore Maddi adapted by D.A. Leontyev and E.I. Rasskazova, Time Perspective Inventory (TPI) by Ph.Ge. Zimbardo, adapted by A. Syrtsova et al. and Reflexivity Diagnostics Method by A.V. Karpov. As a result, the first-year students showed low levels of developed reactive and proactive coping, high levels of social and emotional support as well as escape-avoidance, average levels of strategic planning and search for informational support, and a reduced level of reflective, predictive resource. It is shown that the search for social, emotional and informational support is the basis for constructing adaptive behavior strategies. It is confirmed that self-control and the category of the future are moderating for all types of proactive coping. The conducted cluster analysis made it possible to identify three profiles, which differ in the levels and content of reactive and proactive behavior (non-adaptive, reactive and active with a tendency to proactive). Repeated measurements show that individual and group forms of psychological intervention cause changes in the indicators of reactive-proactive coping behavior, which can be regarded as a positive dynamics in the development of behavior in students of the experimental group. Finally, a conclusion was formulated about the possibilities of using various forms of psychological support (individual counseling, trainings, and self-help groups) in optimizing the first-year students proactive coping behavior.

Behavioral response bias and event-related brain potentials implicate elevated incentive salience attribution to alcohol cues in emerging adults with lower sensitivity to alcohol.

This study used a behavioral approach-avoidance task including images of alcoholic beverages to test whether low sensitivity to alcohol (LS) is a phenotypical marker of a dispositional propensity to attribute bottom-up incentive value to naturally conditioned alcohol cues. Experimental study with a measured individual difference variable at a university psychology laboratory in Missouri, MO, USA. Participants were 178 emerging adults (aged 18-20 years) varying in self-reported sensitivity to alcohol's acute effects. Participants completed the alcohol approach-avoidance task while behavior (response time; RT) and the electroencephalogram (EEG) were recorded. Stimulus-locked event-related potentials (ERPs) provided indices of integrated (top-down and bottom-up) stimulus incentive value (P3 amplitude) and conflict between top-down task demands and bottom-up response propensities (N450 amplitude). Linear mixed models showed faster RT for 'alcohol-approach' relative to 'alcohol-avoid' trials for lower-sensitivity (LS) [meanD ± standard errorD (MD ± SED ) = 29.51 ± 9.74 ms, t(328) = 3.03, P = 0.003] but not higher-sensitivity (HS) individuals (MD ± SED = 2.27 ± 9.33 ms, t(328) = 0.243, P = 0.808). There was enhanced N450 amplitude (response conflict) for alcohol-avoid relative to alcohol-approach trials for LS participants (MD ± SED = 0.811 ± 0.198 μV, Z = 4.108, P < 0.001) and enhanced N450 amplitude for alcohol-approach relative to alcohol-avoid for HS participants (MD ± SED = 0.419 ± 0.188 μV, Z = 2.235, P = 0.025). There was also enhanced P3 amplitude for alcohol-approach relative to alcohol-avoid for LS (MD ± SED = 0.825 ± 0.204 μV, Z = 4.045, P < 0.001) but not HS (MD ± SED = 0.013 ± 0.194 μV, Z = 0.068, P = 0.946). Findings from a human laboratory study appear to support the notion that low sensitivity to alcohol indexes a propensity to attribute bottom-up incentive value to naturally conditioned alcohol cues.

Cultivation of Entrepreneurial Psychology and Innovation Ability by New Media Art Under the Reform of Publishing Industry.

In order to optimize the resource allocation of the traditional publishing industry in the new media era, it is proposed to integrate the traditional publishing and digital publishing industries to solve the problem of unbalanced resource distribution under dual-track conditions. Professional talents with innovative entrepreneurial ability and psychology in colleges and universities are cultivated to promote the integration and reform process of the publishing industry under the background of new media art. First, the study analyzes the digital reform issues facing the development of the publishing industry in the new media era. Second, in view of the development situation of the publishing industry in the Yangtze River Delta, it is proposed to establish a development model of integrated publishing in the Yangtze River Delta through resource allocation. Then, under the new media art form, the teaching mode of creative and entrepreneurial talents training in art colleges and universities is optimized to cultivate students’ innovative ability and entrepreneurial positive psychology. The research results show that the number of books printed in Shanghai in the Yangtze River Delta is 13,000 types per year, and the number is still rising; however, periodicals and newspapers are affected by the new media industry, and the number of publications is declining. The printing volume has dropped by 50% in 9years; the questionnaire survey results show that 68% of the students are very interested in entrepreneurial activities, but 53% of the students have not carried out entrepreneurial activities at all, indicating that the students’ entrepreneurial ability is insufficient. The results provide a reference for studying the reform direction of the publishing industry and cultivating entrepreneurial talents in the context of new media.