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Examining self-efficacy, support systems, and initial motivations for attending university in first-generation versus continuing-generation students at an Atlantic Canadian university.
Full text linkA first-generation student (FGS) is the first in their immediate family to attend university,
and this group of students often starts with disadvantages that continuing-generation
students (CGS) do not have. A CGS for the purpose of this study is defined as students
who have at least one caregiver with a bachelor’s degree. The current study examined
supports and motivations for attending post-secondary education for FGS vs. CGS.
There were 311 participants, 122 FGS and 189 CGS, all of whom were current university
students at a small Atlantic Canadian university. Participants completed an online survey
that assessed motivations for attending university, perceptions of social and institutional
supports, & self-reports of college-going self-efficacy. FGS were more likely to report
they had considering dropping out, perceived less support from friends and family, and
had lower self-efficacy scores than CGS. FGS reported motivations based on helping
family, and proving worth. CGS endorsed motivations based on expectations and
encouragement from others. In regression analyses, predicting motivations, college-going
self-efficacy was related to motivation for pursuing education post-bachelor's, and
career/personal motivations, while students’ status was not. Higher levels of family and
friend support was linked to more career/personal and encouragement motivations for
FGS and CGS. For CGS only, support was correlated with higher humanitarian and fewer
default motivations. Overall, this study demonstrated differences in the types of
motivations between CGS and FGS. FGS’ lower self-efficacy and perception of fewer
social supports could negatively influence their future goals and achievement
Job Autonomy and Resilience as Predictors of Well-Being and Organizational Outcomes: A Comparison Between Remote and On-Site Employees
Full text linkThe COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated momentous changes in the modern workplace
environment, with a greater number of employees now working from home. As such, the
current study sought to determine how job autonomy and resilience contribute to job
satisfaction, turnover intention, and burnout among participants working on-site, remote,
and hybrid. A sample of 158 Canadian employees between the ages of 18 to 70 years (M
= 41.49, SD = 15.10) completed a series of questions about their workplace experiences.
The results indicated that these three groups significantly differed in their level of job
autonomy, with this variable being a stronger predictor of individual and organizational
outcomes than resilience. These findings suggest that job-related factors like job
autonomy may be a valuable tool to all employees, irrespective of where and how they
work. Future research should investigate ways of implementing job autonomy across
various work environment
Positive Behavioral Contrast Effect and Wheel Running as an Operant Behavior on a Multiple Schedule of Reinforcement
Full text linkPositive contrast was assessed when rats were required to lever press in one component
and wheel run in the other component on a mult FR 15 FR 15 schedule of reinforcement.
To assess positive contrast in wheel running, lever-pressing behavior was put under
extinction and vice versa. Increases in lever-pressing and wheel-running rates under the
contrast condition were consistent with previously observed positive contrast effects.
Results showed a significantly larger increase with contrast and decrease with extinction
for lever pressing effect, relative to wheel running. Similarly, post einforcement pause
(PRP) duration increased substantively with extinction and decreased markedly with
contrast for lever pressing. In comparison, for wheel running, PRP duration decreased
with extinction and did not change with contrast. These differences can be attributed to
the automatic reinforcement that wheel-running manifests, but lever pressing does not.
These findings were also the first to show a positive contrast effect using wheel running
as an operant behavior
Study of normalization techniques using low and high energy x-ray fluorescence excitation beams with standard samples
Full text linkX-Ray fluorescence is gaining popularity in the scientific community as it is portable, non-invasive, and inexpensive to operate. Rigorous method analysis is needed to accurately assess health and mineral conditions in people or crops through concentrations
of various elements. The current study examines the role of the 6.4keV X-ray fluorescence (XRF) excitation beam in the analysis of low atomic number (Z) elements and its comparison to the 17.48keV excitation beam for these elements. Fifty okra samples were analyzed using XRF and results were compared to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) values through linear correlation plots. The
correlations for calcium, potassium, and phosphorus, revealed that the 6.4keV excitation beam, was better suited for elements up to but not including chromium. The low energy beam had an average R2 value of 0.74 whereas the high energy beam had an R2 of 0.52 for the okra samples. The same procedure was used to examine standard caprine horn samples where only calcium was examined. These supported the use of
the low energy beam for low Z elements with an average R2 value of 0.45 compared to the high energy R2 value of 0.26. Normalization of the data was required and four methods, Region of Interest (ROI), Molybdenum or Iron, Scatter Peak, and total area
ratio (TAR) were created and tested to determine which produced normalized counts with the best correlation to ICP-MS. Linear correlations of the okra samples indicated the ROI method was most promising for studying low Z elements while using the low energy X-ray fluorescence excitation beam. The goat horn samples indicated the Fe method provided the best correlations though all R2 were similar and the relative uncertainties were twice the okra. More research is needed to determine the potential
of the ROI normalization method with higher atomic number elements
The Development of Executive Function in Risky Decision Making among Preschoolers
Full text linkRisky decision making refers to making a decision that includes a choice with an
uncertain outcome. Many skills such as executive function (EF) are important for
effective decision making. EF refers to higher-order cognitive skills necessary for goal
directed behaviour. It is divided into two categories: hot executive function and cool
executive function. Hot EF are used in a motivational context, whereas cool EF are used
in a more abstract context. The present study assessed three- and four-year-olds’ EF
development in regard to risky decision making by utilizing various EF tasks and a
Risky Decision Making task. Participants included 125 children from preschools across
the greater Moncton area. Results revealed no significant difference in risk taking across
a gain domain vs loss domain, that four-year-old children take more risk than three-year
old children in the Risky Decision Making task used, and that the delay of gratification
task (DoGT), which assesses hot EF skills, is associated with proficient risk taking. In
the future, research should evaluate the comprehension of the preschool-aged
participants on the tasks at hand, exclude any distracting factors within the tasks,
increase the age sensitivity of the Risky Decision Making task, and use a larger sample
with a broader age range
How Bright is the Bright Side? Measurement and Implications of Toxic Positivity for Self and Others
Full text linkToxic positivity refers to the belief that no matter how hard or difficult a situation is,
people should maintain a positive outlook. The present research aimed to demonstrate
that toxic positivity is a measurable construct through the development of the Binns
Toxic Positivity Scale (BTPS). For Study One a community sample (N = 94) completed
an initial set of 13 items to index toxic positivity. Factor analysis showed that items
could be reduced to two subscales: Control and Positivity. Each subscale showed
acceptable reliability, and correlations between the two subscales and emotion
regulation strategies provided evidence of validity. Importantly, the subscales failed to
correlate with optimism, indicating that the BTPS assesses a separate construct. The
purpose of Study Two was two-fold: (1) to examine the psychometric properties of a
revised BTPS and (2) to assess the impact of mood. Results from a sample of
undergraduates (N = 142) showed that the revised Control and Positivity subscales were
reliable. However, the evidence for validity was mixed. Specifically, the Control
subscale was associated with more optimism, self-compassion, and better mental health,
indicating that aspects of toxic positivity may have benefits for individuals. Of interest
was the finding that participants who received toxic positivity feedback after reading an
imaginary scenario of failure experienced more negative mood than participants who
received compassionate feedback. This negative impact of toxic positivity on mood was
moderated by individuals’ level of self-compassion. Overall, findings illustrate that toxic
positivity is a measurable construct, that scores relate to emotion regulation strategies,
and that toxic positivity statements have negative impacts on others. Future research
should focus on refinement of the BTPS and validity of its utility
The Development of Morality in Relation to Age and Executive Functioning in Preschoolers
Full text linkThe present study examined the development of morality in preschoolers in relation to
their age and executive functioning (EF) skills. A sample of 204 3- and 4-year-olds
completed a moral and conventional norm storytelling task, a hot EF task, and a cool EF
task. Based on past literature, it was expected that there would be a significant
difference in children’s ratings of severity of moral and conventional norm violations, as
well as a significant age difference. It was also hypothesized that scores on the hot and
cool EF tasks would be associated with scores on the stories about moral transgressions,
while only scores on the cool EF task would be associated with scores on the stories
about conventional transgressions. Results revealed that children rated moral
transgressions as more severe than conventional, however, no age differences were
found. Older children provided a higher proportion of reasons compared to younger
children. Children suggested that moral transgressions were wrong because someone
was a victim or the action was bad, while conventional transgressions were wrong
because they violated a rule. Only hot EF scores were related to scores on the moral
stories, while neither EF task was related to scores on conventional stories
Effect of delayed reinforcement on lever pressing for wheel-running reinforcement
Full text linkDelayed reinforcement can be understood as the interposition of a period of time
between the occurrence of a behaviour and the delivery of a reinforcer. The present
study investigated the effects of delayed reinforcement on the lever-pressing behaviour
of eight Long-Evans rats for wheel running as reinforcement. Under the baseline
condition, rats pressed a lever on a variable-ratio (VR) 5 schedule for the opportunity to
run for 60 s as a reinforcement. Sessions terminated when 20 reinforcements were
completed. Once baseline stabilized, delay durations of 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 s were
introduced over five consecutive sessions on three occasions under light change and no
light change conditions. In the light change condition, the chamber lights were
extinguished during wheel running. Results showed the lever-pressing rates did not
decrease with delay in the light change condition, but they did in the no light change
condition. Under both conditions, PRP duration and wheel-running rates increased with
delay. The lack of a delay of reinforcement gradient in the no light change was
attributed to the light change functioning as a conditioned reinforcement. These findings
extend delay of reinforcement to wheel-running reinforcement
