Exploring longitudinal measurement invariance and the continuum hypothesis in the Swedish version of the Behavioral Regulation in Sport Questionnaire (BRSQ): An exploratory structural equation modeling approach

Objectives: The aims of the present study were to: (a) examine longitudinal measurement invariance in the Swedish version of the Behavioral Regulations in Sport Questionnaire (BRSQ) and (b) examine the continuum hypothesis of motivation as postulated within self-determination theory. Design: Two-wave survey. Method: Young competitive athletes (N = 354) responded to the BRSQ early in the season (November) and at the end of the athletic season (April). Data were analyzed using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) and bifactor ESEM. Results: We found support for strict longitudinal measurement invariance in the BRSQ. Latent mean comparisons showed an increase in external regulation and amotivation across the season. The latent factor correlations indicated some deviations from a simplex pattern related to amotivation, external regulation, and introjected regulation. In the bifactor model, intrinsic motivation items had negative factor loadings on the global factor, identified regulation items had factor loadings approaching zero, and introjected and external regulation and amotivation items all had moderate to strong positive factor loadings. Conclusion: The present study adds longitudinal measurement invariance to the psychometric evidence of the BRSQ. Research on why the latent means of the behavioral regulations changed over the athletic season is warranted. The continuum hypothesis was partially supported. Latent factor correlations and factor loadings on the global factor in the bifactor ESEM highlighted that the discriminant validity of the controlled regulations and amotivation needs further investigation

The role of domain-specific and domain-general cognitive functions and skills in sports performance: A meta-analysis

Cognition plays a key role in sports performance. In this meta-analytic review, we synthesize research that has examined the relationship between cognitive functions, skills, and sports performance. We identified literature by searching Cochrane library, PsychInfo, Pubmed, and Web of Science. We included studies conducted on competitive athletes, assessed cognitive prerequisites, and included performance measures related to the sport. Of the 9433 screened records, 136 reports were included, containing 142 studies, 1227 effect sizes, and 8860 participants. Only 11 studies used a prospective study design. The risk of bias was assessed using The Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Nonrandomized Studies. The multilevel meta- analysis showed a medium effect size for the overall difference in cognitive functions and skills, with higher-skilled athletes scoring better than lower-skilled athletes (Hedges’ g = 0.59, 95% CI [0.49, 0.69]). The moderator analysis showed larger effect size for tests of cognitive decision-making skills (g = 0.77, 95% CI [0.6, 0.94]) compared to basic (g = 0.39, 95% CI [0.21, 0.56]) and higher cognitive functions (g = 0.44, 95% CI [0.26, 0.62]), as well as larger effect size for sport-specific task-stimuli compared to general ones. We report that higher-skilled athletes perform better on tests of cognitive function compared to lower-skilled athletes. There was insufficient evidence to determine whether cognitive functions and skills can predict future sport performance. We found no evidence to support claims that tests of general cognitive functions, such as executive functioning, should be used by practitioners for talent identification or player selection

Specific glial populations regulate hippocampal morphogenesis

The hippocampus plays an integral role in spatial navigation, learning and memory, and is a major site for adult neurogenesis. Critical to these functions is the proper organization of the hippocampus during development. Radial glia are known to regulate hippocampal formation, but their precise function in this process is yet to be defined. We find that in Nuclear Factor I b (Nfib)-deficient mice, a subpopulation of glia from the ammonic neuroepithelium of the hippocampus fail to develop. This results in severe morphological defects, including a failure of the hippocampal fissure, and subsequently the dentate gyrus, to form. As in wild-type mice, immature nestin-positive glia, which encompass all types of radial glia, populate the hippocampus in Nfib-deficient mice at embryonic day 15. However, these fail to mature into GLAST- and GFAP-positive glia, and the supragranular glial bundle is absent. In contrast, the fimbrial glial bundle forms, but alone is insufficient for proper hippocampal morphogenesis. Dentate granule neurons are present in the mutant hippocampus but their migration is aberrant, likely resulting from the lack of the complete radial glial scaffold usually provided by both glial bundles. These data demonstrate a role for Nfib in hippocampal fissure and dentate gyrus formation, and that distinct glial bundles are critical for correct hippocampal morphogenesis

Researching and Designing for the Orchestration of Learning in the CSCL Classroom

Designing tools for teachers to orchestrate computer supported collaborative learning activities in their classrooms requires that attention be paid to the range of roles and activities a teacher must take throughout the process. Drawing on the Implementing Collaborative Learning in the Classroom framework proposed by Kaendler, Wiedmann, Rummel and Spada (2014), the contributors to this symposium will speak to the way their designs address the various parts of this framework, allowing us to draw conclusions about what has been successful for different parts of this process, and identifying future directions for development and research

NFIA controls telencephalic progenitor cell differentiation through repression of the Notch effector Hes1

The balance between self-renewal and differentiation of neural progenitor cells is an absolute requirement for the correct formation of the nervous system. Much is known about both the pathways involved in progenitor cell self-renewal, such as Notch signaling, and the expression of genes that initiate progenitor differentiation. However, whether these fundamental processes are mechanistically linked, and specifically how repression of progenitor self-renewal pathways occurs, is poorly understood. Nuclear factor I A (Nfia), a gene known to regulate spinal cord and neocortical development, has recently been implicated as acting downstream of Notch to initiate the expression of astrocyte-specific genes within the cortex. Here we demonstrate that, in addition to activating the expression of astrocyte-specific genes, Nfia also downregulates the activity of the Notch signaling pathway via repression of the key Notch effector Hes1. These data provide a significant conceptual advance in our understanding of neural progenitor differentiation, revealing that a single transcription factor can control both the activation of differentiation genes and the repression of the self-renewal genes, thereby acting as a pivotal regulator of the balance between progenitor and differentiated cell states

Positive and negative well-being and objectively measured sedentary behaviour in older adults: evidence from three cohorts

Background: Sedentary behaviour is related to poorer health independently of time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity. The aim of this study was to investigate whether wellbeing or symptoms of anxiety or depression predict sedentary behaviour in older adults. Method: Participants were drawn from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (LBC1936) (n = 271), and the West of Scotland Twenty-07 1950s (n = 309) and 1930s (n = 118) cohorts. Sedentary outcomes, sedentary time, and number of sit-to-stand transitions, were measured with a three-dimensional accelerometer (activPAL activity monitor) worn for 7 days. In the Twenty-07 cohorts, symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed in 2008 and sedentary outcomes were assessed ~ 8 years later in 2015 and 2016. In the LBC1936 cohort, wellbeing and symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed concurrently with sedentary behaviour in 2015 and 2016. We tested for an association between wellbeing, anxiety or depression and the sedentary outcomes using multivariate regression analysis. Results: We observed no association between wellbeing or symptoms of anxiety and the sedentary outcomes. Symptoms of depression were positively associated with sedentary time in the LBC1936 and Twenty-07 1950s cohort, and negatively associated with number of sit-to-stand transitions in the LBC1936. Meta-analytic estimates of the association between depressive symptoms and sedentary time or number of sit-to-stand transitions, adjusted for age, sex, BMI, long-standing illness, and education, were β = 0.11 (95% CI = 0.03, 0.18) and β = − 0.11 (95% CI = − 0.19, −0.03) respectively. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that depressive symptoms are positively associated with sedentary behavior. Future studies should investigate the causal direction of this association

A Classification of Motivation and Behavior Change Techniques Used in Self-Determination Theory-Based Interventions in Health Contexts

While evidence suggests that interventions based on self-determination theory have efficacy in motivating adoption and maintenance of health-related behaviors, and in promoting adaptive psychological outcomes, the motivational techniques that comprise the content of these interventions have not been comprehensively identified or described. The aim of the present study was to develop a classification system of the techniques that comprise self-determination theory interventions, with satisfaction of psychological needs as an organizing principle. Candidate techniques were identified through a comprehensive review of self-determination theory interventions and nomination by experts. The study team developed a preliminary list of candidate techniques accompanied by labels, definitions, and function descriptions of each. Each technique was aligned with the most closely-related psychological need satisfaction construct (autonomy, competence, or relatedness). Using an iterative expert consensus procedure, participating experts (N=18) judged each technique on the preliminary list for redundancy, essentiality, uniqueness, and the proposed link between the technique and basic psychological need. The procedure produced a final classification of 21 motivation and behavior change techniques (MBCTs). Redundancies between final MBCTs against techniques from existing behavior change technique taxonomies were also checked. The classification system is the first formal attempt to systematize self-determination theory intervention techniques. The classification is expected to enhance consistency in descriptions of selfdetermination theory-based interventions in health contexts, and assist in facilitating synthesis of evidence on interventions based on the theory. The classification is also expected to guide future efforts to identify, describe, and classify the techniques that comprise self-determination theory-based interventions in multiple domains