Task Persistence Research Articles

Behavioral and Neurophysiological Correlates of Dogs' Individual Sensitivities to Being Observed by Their Owners While Performing a Repetitive Fetching Task.

Ample evidence suggests that dogs possess enhanced skills in reading human visual attention, but it remains to be explored whether they are sensitive to the audience effect in their interactions with humans. The present study aimed to investigate how dogs’ behavior is affected by their owners’ visual attention while performing a repetitive task (bringing an object back to an unfamiliar experimenter while the owner waited passively). We assumed that if dogs are susceptible to the audience effect, their task persistence and task performance would vary according to their owners’ attentiveness. A group of adult pet dogs (N = 27) were repeatedly presented with an object retrieval task by the experimenter (N = 20 trials) while owners either ignored their dogs (Inattentive Owner condition) or paid attention to their dogs’ actions (Attentive Owner condition). Behavioral observations were complemented with the owner’s reports of their relationships with their dogs (assessed by means of an owner–pet attachment questionnaire) and dogs’ spectral EEG sleep profile (recorded during 3-h-long daytime sleep). Although dogs, independently of their owners’ attentional state, were generally willing to comply with the fetching task, they were faster to approach the toy object and gazed significantly longer at their owners when he/she was paying attention. This finding is reminiscent of peer influence observed in humans. Further, characteristics of relationship insecurity (relationship anxiety and avoidance) were associated with dogs’ task persistence and performance. Dogs of owners with higher relationship anxiety tended to approach the toy object less frequently, and dogs of owners with higher relationship avoidance and anxiety were more hesitant to approach the toy object. We also found that dogs’ individual susceptibilities to the audience effect is related to EEG spectral power of both REM and non-REM sleep as well as in pre-sleep (drowsiness) in a trait-like manner. These results, in line with previous findings, support the notion that dogs have a somewhat human-like susceptibility to the audience effect, a trait which might be linked to more complex mechanisms, such as self-presentation or reputation management, helping the two species to become effective social partners.

Persistence targeted smoking cessation for smokers with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder: a feasibility study

AbstractIntroductionIndividuals with schizophrenia are more likely to smoke and less likely to quit smoking than those without schizophrenia. Because task persistence is lower in smokers with than without schizophrenia, it is possible that lower levels of task persistence may contribute to greater difficulties in quitting smoking observed among smokers with schizophrenia.AimsTo develop a feasible and acceptable intervention for smokers with schizophrenia.MethodsParticipants (N = 24) attended eight weekly individual cognitive behavioral therapy sessions for tobacco use disorder with a focus on increasing task persistence and received 10 weeks of nicotine patch.ResultsIn total, 93.8% of participants rated the intervention as at least a 6 out of 7 regarding how ‘easy to understand’ it was and 81.3% rated the treatment as at least a 6 out of 7 regarding how helpful it was to them. A total of 62.5% attended at least six of the eight sessions and session attendance was positively related to nicotine dependence and age and negatively related to self-efficacy for quitting.DiscussionThis intervention was feasible and acceptable to smokers with schizophrenia. Future research will examine questions appropriate for later stages of therapy development such as initial efficacy of the intervention and task persistence as a mediator of treatment outcome.

A influência de métodos ativos de ensino na autoeficácia discente sobre aprender Física e trabalhar colaborativamente: um estudo de caso explanatório com o método Team-Based Learning

Autoeficácia, definida como a crença dos indivíduos acerca da própria capacidade de realizar uma atividade específica, influencia na motivação, desempenho e persistência discente nas tarefas de aprendizagem. Por isso, em pesquisas em educação procura-se entender como fomentar a autoeficácia discente em relação às ações necessárias ao aprendizado. No Ensino de Física, em particular, há resultados controversos acerca da potencialidade dos métodos ativos de ensino no desenvolvimento dessas crenças. Nesse sentido, investigamos como uma experiência com o método de ensino Team-Based Learning (TBL) em uma disciplina de física básica universitária influenciou os níveis de autoeficácia em aprender física e trabalhar colaborativamente de um estudante particular, cujas crenças iniciais eram baixas, se comparadas com a turma. A partir de um estudo de caso explanatório, constatamos mudanças positivas nas crenças de autoeficácia do aluno nas dimensões analisadas. Essa variação ocorreu, principalmente, devido à ampliação de espaços de discussão proporcionada pelo TBL, que possibilitou que o estudante observasse as ações dos colegas e do professor em diferentes situações, fazendo-o se sentir mais capaz de realizar atividades semelhantes.

체육수업에서 학생들의 기대-가치지각과 그릿(Grit) 및 과제 지속성과의 구조적 관계

체육수업에서 학생들의 기대-가치지각과 그릿(Grit) 및 과제 지속성과의 구조적 관계

Relaciones positivas con otras personas y autoeficacia en estudiantes universitarios

La autoeficacia constituye una de las variables motivacionales más determinantes de las conductas de logro de los estudiantes, influyendo significativamente sobre el nivel de esfuerzo y persistencia en las tareas, así como en el rendimiento académico. Su importante contribución en el ámbito académico ha promovido un creciente interés por la identificación de los recursos psicológicos que favorecerían las expectativas de autoeficacia en el contexto académico. En consonancia con este planteamiento proactivo, el objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar la relación entre la autoeficacia y las relaciones positivas con otras personas, esta última erigida en una de las dimensiones esenciales del bienestar psicológico humano. En la investigación participaron 630 estudiantes (427 mujeres y 203 hombres) de la Universidade da Coruña (España), con edades comprendidas entre los 18 y los 46 años (M = 21.17; DT = 3.31). Se llevó a cabo un estudio no experimental con un diseño de cohortes transversales. Se establecieron tres niveles (bajo, medio y alto) en la variable relaciones positivas con otros, tomando como puntos de corte los percentiles 33 y 66. Las diferencias en autoeficacia entre estos tres niveles se determinaron mediante un ANOVA de un factor. Los resultados evidenciaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los tres niveles, de manera que el grupo con niveles más elevados de relaciones positivas con otros mostró niveles de autoeficacia general más altos que los grupos medio y bajo. La magnitud del efecto fue media. Estos hallazgos sugieren que disponer de lazos afectivos significativos con otras personas favorecería en el estudiantado universitario creencias de competencia autopercibida más elevadas para hacer frente a su día a día.

The Influence of Implicit Theories of Depression on Treatment-Relevant Attitudes

Implicit theories (beliefs about the malleability of self-relevant traits) of emotion are associated with various motivational and emotional responses. Less is known about implicit theories of depression. The present study examined the effects of a manipulation of implicit theories of depression on depression symptom severity, engagement in a self-help task, and treatment-relevant attitudes. Participants experiencing clinically significant levels of depression (N = 142) were randomly assigned to receive education about depression emphasizing either the malleability of depression (incremental condition) or depression as a chronic condition (entity condition). Participants subsequently completed a self-help task for depression. Symptom severity, stigma, prognostic pessimism, psychotherapy and antidepressant credibility, psychological flexibility, and time spent on the self-help task were assessed. Participants in the incremental condition endorsed a greater incremental theory of depression than did those in the entity condition. To the extent that the experimental condition was associated with the adoption of an incremental theory of depression, depression symptom severity and stigma decreased, and treatment-relevant attitudes were more favorable. The experimental condition had no effect on self-help task persistence. Presenting depression as malleable may be associated with more positive attitudes towards treatment, although the impact on actual treatment engagement warrants future investigation.

무용전공자의 행동활성화 및 억제행동과 심리적 욕구 그리고 과제지속의 관계

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship maong behavioral activation & inhibition, psychological needs and task persistence in university students majoring in dance.BR Method: The conceptual model of this study assumed that behavioral acvtai tion & inhibition would be mediated by psychological needs and it would, in turn, mediate stak persistence through the class participation. 224 university students majoring in 3 kinds of dances (traditional dance, modern dance, and ballet) participated in the study (Mage=23.02 years, SD=3.08). The participants completed four questionnaires: a demographic questionnaire, behavior activation & inhibition Questionnaire, psychological needs, and task persistence Scale.BR Results: The results of the final model indicated that behavior activation was positively related to psychological needs (.294). psychological needs were significantly related to task persistence (.189). Behavior activation was significantly related to task persistence (.329). Significant indirect effects were observed. The bootstrapping results indicated that the relationship between behavior cativation and task persistence was mediated by psychological needs.BR Conclusion: The findings of this study contribute to the current understadning of the relationship between behavior activation and task persistence and shed light on the important roles of psychological needs.

THE EFFECT OF INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP AND PERSISTENCE ON TASK PERFORMANCE

Task performance is the responsibility and duty carried out by each teacher in carrying out his work which contributes to administrative tasks. This study aims to provide information about the influence of instructional leadership and persistence on task performance. The causal survey involved 120 teachers, selected using Simple Random Sampling (SRS). There are three instruments developed to measure task performance (25 items, reliability 0.952), instructional leadership (30 items, reliability 0.948) and persistence (24 items, reliability 0.940). Data were analyzed using regression, correlation, and path analysis. The results of the analysis show that the instructional leadership and persistence have a direct and significant influence on the teacher's performance tasks. Therefore, to improve teacher performance tasks, factors such as instructional leadership and persistence need to be considered.

The Effects of Two Mindset Interventions on Low-Income Students’ Academic and Psychological Outcomes

This study examined two widely available light-touch, writing-based mindset interventions: one that targeted students’ purpose for learning and one that aimed to increase students’ growth mindset. In order to examine the potential mechanisms underlying previously reported effects of mindset interventions, we analyzed these interventions’ effects on low-income, ethnic minority adolescents’ academic outcomes, task persistence, task-relevant anxiety, critical motivation, and sense of belonging. Results indicated that the purpose for learning intervention had a small negative impact on students’ self-reported grades the following year, and null results for the other outcomes. The growth mindset intervention was administered one year following the purpose for learning intervention and we found no evidence of treatment impacts on any outcomes. Analyses of treatment impact moderation suggested that certain student characteristics, such as student gender and race could play a role, but most of these tests also presented null results. The primarily null results of both interventions suggest that further study is needed to determine the effectiveness of one-time, self-administered mindset interventions across a variety of contexts and student populations.

Multiple Facets of Value-Based Decision Making in Major Depressive Disorder

Depression is clinically characterized by obvious changes in decision making that cause distress and impairment. Though several studies suggest impairments in depressed individuals in single tasks, there has been no systematic investigation of decision making in depression across tasks. We compare participants diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) (n = 64) to healthy controls (n = 64) using a comprehensive battery of nine value-based decision-making tasks which yield ten distinct measures. MDD participants performed worse on punishment (d = −0.54) and reward learning tasks (d = 0.38), expressed more pessimistic predictions regarding winning money in the study (d = −0.47) and were less willing to wait in a persistence task (d = −0.39). Performance on learning, expectation, and persistence tasks each loaded on unique dimensions in a factor analysis and punishment learning and future expectations each accounted for unique variance in predicting depressed status. Decision-making performance alone could predict depressed status out-of-sample with 72% accuracy. The findings are limited to MDD patients ranging between moderate to severe depression and the effects of medication could not be accounted for due to the cross sectional nature of the study design. These results confirm hints from single task studies that depression has the strongest effects on reinforcement learning and expectations about the future. Our results highlight the decision processes that are impacted in major depression, and whose further study could lead to a more detailed computational understanding of distinct facets of this heterogeneous disorder.

초등체육수업에서 교사의 동기부여방식과 과제가치 및 과제지속의도의 구조적 관계

초등체육수업에서 교사의 동기부여방식과 과제가치 및 과제지속의도의 구조적 관계

체육수업에서 지각된 사회적지지, 자기효능감, 과제지속성 및 신체활동의 관련성

체육수업에서 지각된 사회적지지, 자기효능감, 과제지속성 및 신체활동의 관련성

체육수업에 대한 학생들의 학업열의가 수업몰입과 과제지속행동에 미치는 영향

체육수업에 대한 학생들의 학업열의가 수업몰입과 과제지속행동에 미치는 영향

Parent Control and Child Shame: Associations with Children’s Task Persistence and Depressive Symptoms in Middle Childhood

SYNOPSIS Objective . Understanding how parents socialize shame may shed light on two related issues: why some children experience intense shame, and whether shame serves as an indirect pathway between parenting behavior and academic and mental health outcomes in middle childhood. Design . This cross-sectional study examined socialization of shame with mothers (N = 98, Mage = 38.73 years) and their school-aged children (53 girls, Mage = 11.55 years). Mothers reported their use of negative conditional regard (NCR) as it pertains to their children’s academic performance, a salient domain of functioning in this developmental stage. Children completed a brief narrative task that was coded to measure their shame-specific emotion regulation; they also participated in an impossible-puzzle stressor to assess task persistence and self-reported their depressive symptoms. Results . Separate models examining the unique effects of NCR in the academic domain and its associations with task persistence during the stressor and with child depressive symptoms showed that children’s more intense shame responses were an indirect pathway between higher NCR and these two distinct child outcomes. Conclusions . Parent use of NCR in the academic domain places school-aged children at higher risk for intense shame and thereby for lower persistence on challenging tasks and more depressive symptoms.

Participation in leisure activities in adolescents with congenital heart defects.

To describe leisure participation in adolescents with congenital heart defects (CHD) and identify factors associated with intensity of participation. Eighty adolescents with CHD were recruited (39 males, 41 females; mean age [SD] 15y 8mo [1y 8mo] range 11y 5mo-19y 11mo) of whom 78 completed the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE) outcome measure of leisure participation. The measure has five subscales: recreational, active-physical, social, skill-based, and self-improvement. Associations between the CAPE and age, sex, and development were examined. Motor ability (Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition), cognition (Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised), behavior (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), and motivation (Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire) were assessed. Participants exhibited impaired motor (43.5%), behavioral (23.7%), and cognitive (29.9%) development. The most intense participation was in social (mean [SD] 3.3 [0.99]) and recreational (2.9 [0.80]) activity types on the CAPE. Male sex (p<0.05) and younger age were associated with greater physical activity (<15y: 1.87; ≥15y: 1.31, p<0.05). Greater engagement in social activities was related to better cognition (r=0.28, p<0.05), higher motor function (r=0.30-0.36, p<0.01), and fewer behavioral difficulties (r=-0.32 to -0.47, p<0.01). Cognitive ability (r=0.27, p<0.05), dexterity and aiming/catching (r=0.27-0.33, p<0.05), and behavior problems (r=0.38-0.49, p=0.001) were correlated with physical activity participation. Persistence in tasks, an aspect of motivation, correlated with physical (r=0.45, p<0.001) and social activity involvement (r=0.28, p<0.05). Ongoing developmental impairments in adolescents with CHD are associated with decreased active-physical and social engagement, putting them at risk of poor physical and mental health. Health promotion strategies should be considered. Adolescents with congenital heart defects (CHD) have limited engagement in active-physical leisure activities. Cognitive, motor, and behavioral impairments are associated with decreased participation in leisure in children with CHD. Female sex and older age are associated with less engagement in leisure. Mastery motivation correlates with participation, suggesting an avenue for intervention.

When Should I Stop? Dysphoria Leads to Impaired Task Persistence via Negative Mood

Abstract. Based on reported motivational deficits in depression – and on persistence deficits in particular – the present study examined whether dysphoric individuals benefit from task contexts that favor longer task persistence. Undergraduates worked on an item-generation task with different stop rules: “Is this a good time to stop?” ( enough rule), “Do I feel like continuing?” ( enjoy rule), or no specific rule. Results revealed that, independent of the stop rule, participants with high depression scores stopped earlier and generated fewer items than participants with low depression scores – an effect that was mediated by current mood state. Thus, contrary to experimentally induced negative mood, the enough-rule intervention was ineffective in eliminating the persistence deficits of dysphoric individuals. Implications for task disengagement and performance outcomes are discussed.

무용수업에서 교사-학생 상호작용과 유능감 지각과의 관계에서 정서와 과제지속의 매개효과

무용수업에서 교사-학생 상호작용과 유능감 지각과의 관계에서 정서와 과제지속의 매개효과

Child and family factors that predict participation attendance in daily activities of toddlers with global developmental delay

Purposes Enhancing children’s daily participation is the optimal goal of early childhood intervention. This study aimed to identify child and family predictors of participation for toddlers with global developmental delay. Methods Fifty-nine toddlers with global developmental delay (aged 24–43 months) and their mothers participated in a 6-month longitudinal study. Predictors for participation were child factors [age, gender, delay severity, mastery motivation (perceived persistence and task persistence), and withdrawal behavior], and family factors (socioeconomic status, family income, maternal education, stress, and maternal teaching behavior). Dependent variables were participation diversity and intensity of four activity types measured 6-month later using the Assessment of Preschool Children’s Participation (Chinese version). Correlation and hierarchical regression statistical methods were used. Results Older children with higher persistence had higher overall participation. Different factors predicted different participation dimensions and different activity types. Older age, higher perceived persistence, and being less withdrawn predicted higher diversity and intensity for play participation. For skill development participation, older age, less severity, higher mastery motivation, and better maternal teaching behaviors predicted higher diversity; and age, mastery motivation and maternal teaching predicted intensity. Conclusions Different factors predict participation attendance differently. Supporting parents to enhance toddlers’ mastery motivation may optimize children’s participation in daily activities. Implications for rehabilitation Based on the child and their caregiver preferences, applicability and/or engagement for different activity types, interventionists could collaborate further with caregivers to find strategies to increase children’s participation attendance in daily life. Interventionists could consult with caregivers: (a) to observe the persistence and positive affect (mastery motivation) of children during different activities, (b) to figure out the possible barriers to participation in those activities, and (c) to demonstrate appropriate caregiver-child interactions. Interventionists are encouraged to support children’s mastery motivation and quality of maternal teaching behaviors to enhance participation in daily activities.

How Adults' Actions, Outcomes, and Testimony Affect Preschoolers' Persistence.

Across four experiments, we looked at how 4- and 5-year-olds' (n=520) task persistence was affected by observations of adult actions (high or low effort), outcomes (success or failure), and testimony (setting expectations-"This will be hard," pep talks-"You can do this," value statements-"Trying hard is important," and baseline). Across experiments, outcomes had the biggest impact: preschoolers consistently tried harder after seeing the adult succeed than fail. Additionally, adult effort affected children's persistence, but only when the adult succeeded. Finally, children's persistence was highest when the adult both succeeded and practiced what she preached: exerting effort while testifying to its value.

Despite high objective numeracy, lower numeric confidence relates to worse financial and medical outcomes

People often laugh about being "no good at math." Unrecognized, however, is that about one-third of American adults are likely too innumerate to operate effectively in financial and health environments. Two numeric competencies conceivably matter-objective numeracy (ability to "run the numbers" correctly; like literacy but with numbers) and numeric self-efficacy (confidence that provides engagement and persistence in numeric tasks). We reasoned, however, that attaining objective numeracy's benefits should depend on numeric confidence. Specifically, among the more objectively numerate, having more numeric confidence (vs. less) should lead to better outcomes because they persist in numeric tasks and have the skills to support numeric success. Among the less objectively numerate, however, having more (vs. less) numeric confidence should hurt outcomes, as they also persist, but make unrecognized mistakes. Two studies were designed to test the generalizability of this hypothesized interaction. We report secondary analysis of financial outcomes in a diverse US dataset and primary analysis of disease activity among systemic lupus erythematosus patients. In both domains, best outcomes appeared to require numeric calculation skills and the persistence of numeric confidence. "Mismatched" individuals (high ability/low confidence or low ability/high confidence) experienced the worst outcomes. For example, among the most numerate patients, only 7% of the more numerically confident had predicted disease activity indicative of needing further treatment compared with 31% of high-numeracy/low-confidence patients and 44% of low-numeracy/high-confidence patients. Our work underscores that having 1 of these competencies (objective numeracy or numeric self-efficacy) does not guarantee superior outcomes.