Pacific Writing: College Writing for Pacific\u27s Core 2 Seminar

Core 2 is Pacific\u27s new reading, critical thinking, and writing-instruction seminar for first- or second-year students. All sections will include some common elements, like reading long-form narrative prose and writing instruction, and all sections will feature expository, thesis-driven writing in response to the course readings. Sections are taught by a variety of faculty from across the university.https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/open-textbooks/1014/thumbnail.jp

The Reality of Virtual Realities: An in Depth Glimpse at the Interactions That Occur Within the Online Gaming Communities of World of Warcraft and Continuum

Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs or MMOs), now have over 22.5 million active subscriptions, and have become a considerable medium for entertainment and social communities. While a large amount of research has already been done relating to online communities (Turkle 1995; Wilson 2006; Isabella 2007; Meadows 2007; Boellstorff 2008; Williams 2011), this thesis hopes to add new insights into in-game interactions via the use of participant observation through a creative narrative. This relatively new Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) method has methodological obstacles in ethnography. As the internet changes rapidly, our methods and practices as anthropologists must as well (Hine 2000; Fischer 2008; Faubion 2009). The goal of this research project is to add to the qualitative research on online gaming communities, and to find distinctions between the sub-cultures and behaviours of two distinct games, World of Warcraft and Continuum. Using communication methods used by these groups and real life interaction via CMC, this project identifies important types of social behaviours within the given gaming groups, as well as relating to issues outside of the game. In addition,, the project outlines and updates the methodological processes required to undertake online research in gaming communities, including the use of narrative as a valid research methodology within online communitie

Exercise and Self-Esteem: Validity of Model Expansion and Exercise Associations

The purpose of this research was to test expansion of the Exercise and Self-Esteem Model (EXSEM) to include two levels of perceived physical competence as operationalized by the Physical Self-Perception Profile (PSPP). Female aerobic dancers (N = 216, age M = 38.4) were administered a Self-Esteem scale (SE), the PSPP to assess a general Physical Self-Worth (PSW), and more specific subdomains of perceived Sport Competence (Sport), Physical Condition (Cond), Attractive Body (Body), and Strength (Stren). Subjects also completed self-efficacy scales for jogging, sitting, and aerobic dancing. Confirmatory factor analysis supported model measurement as hypothesized, ?2 = 1,154.88, df = 681, comparative fit index (CFI) = .913, root mean square residual (RMSR) = .047. Structural equation modeling (SEM) supported EXSEM component relationships as proposed. Further SEM associating two exercise self-reports with EXSEM again displayed satisfactory fit indices and explained up to 27.6% of exercise variance. It was concluded that exercise in adult female aerobic dancers is associated with positive evaluations of their physical condition and with negative evaluations of their bodies

Exercise imagery and its correlates in older adults

Objectives\ud The purpose of the present study was to test a structural model examining the interrelationships between exercise imagery, self-reported exercise behaviour and well-being in older adults.\ud \ud Design\ud Cross-sectional survey.\ud \ud Method\ud Participants were 499 older Greek adults (50.10% males) aged between 51 and 84 years (M age = 57.31; SD = 5.52) who completed questionnaires measuring exercise imagery use, exercise behaviour, subjective vitality, and physical self-worth. The relationship between these variables was tested with a structural model based on the applied model of imagery use for exercise (Munroe-Chandler & Gammage, 2005).\ud \ud Results\ud Energy imagery positively predicted exercise behaviour and subjective vitality, and appearance and technique imagery positively predicted physical self-worth.\ud \ud Conclusions\ud These results indicate older adults engage in different types of imagery to motivate themselves to exercise and improve their well-being, thus implying that the content of imagery interventions should be specifically tailored to the outcomes older adults wish to realise for interventions to be effective.\ud \u

A systematic review of physical activity correlates in alcohol use disorders

Background: Physical activity might promote mental and physical health in persons with alcohol use disorder. Understanding the barriers and facilitators of participation in physical activity in persons with alcohol use disorder is an essential first step in order to devise effective physical activity interventions. Objective: The present review provides a systematic quantitative review of the correlates of physical activity in people with alcohol use disorder. Methods: Major electronic databases were searched by two independent authors from inception till June 2014. Keywords included ‘physical activity’ or ‘exercise’ and ‘alcohol dependence’ or ‘alcohol abuse’ or ‘alcohol use disorders’ or ‘alcoholism’. Results: Five papers evaluating 14 correlates were included. Three studies reported that alcohol dependence was unrelated to physical activity behavior, while alcohol abuse showed positive associations in 2 studies. No demographic variable was related with physical activity participation. Functional impairments and distress associated with alcohol use disorders including increased smoking rates, obesity, anxiety, depression and a lower self-efficacy may limit one’s ability to be physically active. Data on social, environmental and policy related factors are currently lacking. No included study assessed physical activity levels utilizing objective measurements (e.g. pedometers, accelerometers). Conclusion: Although the literature on physical activity correlates in persons with alcohol use disorder still is equivocal, our varied findings support the hypothesis that the participation in physical activity by people with alcohol use disorder is determined by a range of complex factors

Changes in physical activity, physical fitness, self-perception and quality of life following a six-month physical activity counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy program in outpatients with binge eating disorder

The aim of the current study was to explore the associations between changes in the number of binges, physical activity participation, physical fitness, physical self-perception and quality of life following a six-month physical activity counseling and cognitive behavioral program in patients with binge eating disorder (BED). In total 34 (31 women) outpatients with BED (38.5±10.7 years) completed a six-month one-day per week group-based program. Participants completed the 36-item Short Form Health Survey, the Baecke Physical Activity questionnaire, the Physical Self Perception Profile and performed a six-minute walk test (6MWT) at baseline, after three and six months. Except for physical activity at work, physical strength and self-worth perception, all parameters significantly improved after six months. The effect sizes ranged from −0.33 for the number of binges to 1.67 for participation in sports activities. Significant increases in leisure time physical activity were associated with significant improvements in physical health related quality of life, perceived sports competence and physical fitness and in perceived body attractiveness. The significant reduction in the number of binges was associated with significant improvements in physical health related quality of life. Future research should focus on detailing which techniques can stimulate physical activity participation in patients with BED

As Light as You Aspire to Be: Changing body perception with sound to support physical activity

Supporting exercise adherence through technology remains an important HCI challenge. Recent works showed that altering walking sounds leads people perceiving themselves as thinner/lighter, happier and walking more dynamically. While this novel approach shows potential for physical activity, it raises critical questions impacting technology design. We ran two studies in the context of exertion (gym-step, stairs-climbing) to investigate how individual factors impact the effect of sound and the duration of the after-effects. The results confirm that the effects of sound in body-perception occur even in physically demanding situations and through ubiquitous wearable devices. We also show that the effect of sound interacted with participants’ body weight and masculinity/femininity aspirations, but not with gender. Additionally, changes in body-perceptions did not hold once the feedback stopped; however, body-feelings or behavioural changes appeared to persist for longer. We discuss the results in terms of malleability of body-perception and highlight opportunities for supporting exercise adherence