Deciding on a college major: commitment trajectories, career exploration, and academic well-being

"Ziel der vorliegenden Tagebuchstudie war die Erfassung der Mikro-Entwicklungsprozesse von Commitment und Exploration im Übergang von der Schule in die Hochschule. Im Mittelpunkt stand die Untersuchung der Entwicklungsverläufe von 33 Abiturient/-innen im Zeitraum der Studienentscheidung nach dem Ende der Schulzeit. Den Jugendlichen wurde zwischen Abiturprüfung und Einschreibung an einer Hochschule wöchentlich ein standardisierter Fragebogen vorgelegt. Zusätzlich wurde am Ende des ersten Semesters an der Hochschule das akademische Wohlbefinden (Studienzufriedenheit, Passungserleben und Studienabbruchintentionen) mittels eines Follow-Up-Fragebogens erfasst. Die Datenauswertung der Tagebuchstudie zum Commitment ergab eine Zuordnung der Jugendlichen zu einem von drei theoretisch abgeleiteten Entwicklungsverläufen: Entschieden (Jugendliche, die sich bereits früh im Entscheidungsprozess auf nur eine Studienoption festgelegt hatten), Verengend (Jugendliche, die über die Zeit ihre Festlegung auf eine Option verengten) und Suchend (Jugendliche mit geringen und wechselnden Festlegungen). Es zeigten sich zudem Unterschiede zwischen diesen Gruppen im Explorationsverhalten während des Entscheidungsprozesses und hinsichtlich des akademischen Wohlbefindens. Suchende Jugendliche explorierten wenig in die Tiefe und berichteten geringeres akademisches Wohlbefinden als entschiedene und verengende Jugendliche." (Autorenreferat)"In this weekly diary study we followed thirty-three adolescents through the transition from school to college and focused on the micro-level processes of commitment and exploration while adolescents decided on their college major. Between their final exams at school and their enrolment in college they completed standardized diaries once a week. Nine months later at the end of their first semester in college, adolescents reported on their academic well-being (satisfaction with college major, perceived fit regarding interests and expectations, and drop-out intentions). We assigned the participants to one of three theoretically derived commitment trajectories: decided (adolescents who had committed themselves to one option early in the process and implemented their choice), narrowing (adolescents who narrowed down to one favorite option), and searching (adolescents with low and changing commitments), and found meaningful differences in exploration processes and subsequent academic well-being. Searching adolescents explored particularly little in-depth information about their future studies and showed worse academic well-being than decided and narrowing adolescents." (author's abstract

Common practices in detecting psychological early warning signals may lead to incorrect results

The past few years have seen a rapid growth in research on early warning signals (EWSs) in psychological systems. Whereas early studies showed that EWSs are associated with sudden changes in clinical change trajectories, later findings showed that EWSs may not be general and have low predictive power. In this study, we demonstrate that two common practices in psychological EWS studies are not warranted by theories and may lead to false-negative or false-positive results, explaining the mixed findings in the literature. These two practices are (1) using loosely-defined time windows for early warning indicators and (2) using different variables for detecting transitions and calculating early warning indicators. We first review the theoretical background of EWSs and current research practices for EWS studies. Two simulation studies with different types of system changes are used to demonstrate the possible consequences of the two practices. In Study 1, we show that when the time window for early warning indicators is not strictly before the transition, the transition process itself and the system dynamics after the transition may confound the result. In Study 2, we show that when the transition and early warning indicators are measured from different variables in the same system, the predictive relationship may not exist. Based on our findings, we provide suggestions for future EWS studies in terms of theory construction, study design, and data analysis

The Effect of Expectations on Experiences and Engagement with an Applied Game for Mental Health

Objective: Applied games are considered a promising approach to deliver mental health interventions. Nonspecific factors such as expectations and motivation may be crucial to optimize effectiveness yet have not been examined so far. The current study examined the effect of expectations for improvement on (1) experienced fun and positive affect, and (2) in-game play behaviors while playing MindLight, an applied game shown to reduce anxiety. The secondary aim was to examine the moderating role of symptom severity and motivation to change. Materials and Methods: Fifty-seven participants (47 females; 17-21 years old) preselected on anxiety symptoms viewed a trailer in which MindLight was promoted as either a mental health or an entertainment game. These trailers were used to induce different expectations in participants. Participants subsequently played the game for 60 minutes. Before playing, participants filled out questionnaires about their general anxiety symptoms, motivation to change, state anxiety, affect, and arousal. While playing, in-game behaviors and galvanic skin response (GSR) were recorded continuously. After playing, state anxiety, affect, and arousal were measured again as well as experienced fun. Results: Participants in both trailer conditions showed increases in state anxiety, arousal, and GSR. Expectations did not influence experienced fun and positive affect, nor in-game behaviors. In addition, no moderation effects of motivation to change and symptom severity were found. Conclusion: Experiences and engagement with MindLight were not influenced by expectations, motivation to change, and symptom severity. For future research, it is recommended to examine individual differences in these effects, and long-term and more distal outcomes and processes

From Wellbeing to Social Media and Back:A Multi-Method Approach to Assessing the Bi-Directional Relationship Between Wellbeing and Social Media Use

Literature concerning the relationship between social media use and wellbeing is inconsistent in its findings, and most research has focused on time spent on social media rather than on what emerging adults do there, with whom and why. Here, we investigated whether momentary social stress affects emerging adults' social media use, and whether this social media use relates to subsequent changes in wellbeing. We implemented a multi-method paradigm utilising objective and self-report data to investigate how social stress relates to how (much) and why emerging adults use social media. We report on findings based on 114 17-25-year-old emerging adults recruited on university campus. Our findings suggest that social stress does not affect adolescents' subsequent social media use and that there is no relationship between social media use after stress and changes in momentary wellbeing. Our work illustrates the need for detailed approaches in social media and psychological wellbeing research.</p

simlandr:Simulation-Based Landscape Construction for Dynamical Systems

We present the simlandr package for R, which provides a set of tools for constructing potential landscapes for dynamic systems using Monte Carlo simulation. Potential landscapes can be used to quantify the stability of system states. While the canonical form of a potential function is defined for gradient systems, generalized potential functions can also be defined for non-gradient dynamical systems. Our method is based on the potential landscape definition by Wang, Xu, and Wang (2008), and can be used for a large variety of models. Using two multistable dynamical systems as examples, we illustrate how simlandr can be used for model simulation, landscape construction, and barrier height calculation

Patterns of motivating teaching behaviour and student engagement:A microanalytic approach

Positive student engagement is a prerequisite for students' educational success. In this study, a microanalytic approach was used to explore patterns in teachers' use of specific motivating teaching behaviours from the perspective of self-determination theory in relation to indicators of students' positive engagement. The lessons of 52 teachers were observed and event-based coded. Results showed that specifically asking motivating questions and providing positive feedback and support during exercises were associated with subsequent positive student engagement. Unexpectedly, some demotivating teaching behaviours were also found to relate to positive student engagement, although to a lesser extent. Implications and directions for future research are discussed

Complexity theory of psychopathology

There is a renewed interest for complex adaptive system approaches that can account for the inherently complex and dynamic nature of psychopathology. Yet a theory of psychopathology grounded in the principles of complex adaptive systems is lacking. Here, we present such a theory based on the notion of dynamic patterns: patterns that are formed over time. We propose that psychopathology can be understood as a dynamic pattern that emerges from self-organized interactions between interdependent biopsychosocial processes in a complex adaptive system comprising a person in their environment. Psychopathology is emergent in the sense that it refers to the person-environment system as a whole and cannot be reduced to specific system parts. Psychopathology as a dynamic pattern is also self-organized, meaning that it arises solely from the interdependencies in the system: the interactions between countless biopsychosocial variables. All possible manifestations of psychopathology will correspond to a wide variety of dynamic patterns. Yet we propose that the development of these patterns over time can be described by general principles of pattern formation in complex adaptive systems. A discussion of implications for classification, intervention, and public health concludes the article. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).</p

From metaphor to computation:Constructing the potential landscape for multivariate psychological formal models

For psychological formal models, the stability of different phases is an important property for understanding individual differences and change processes. Many researchers use landscapes as a metaphor to illustrate the concept of stability, but so far there is no method to quantify the stability of a system’s phases. We here propose a method to construct the potential landscape for multivariate psychological models. This method is based on the generalized potential function defined by Wang et al. (2008) and Monte Carlo simulation. Based on potential landscapes we define three different types of stability for psychological phases: absolute stability, relative stability, and geometric stability. The panic disorder model by Robinaugh et al. (2019) is used as an example, to demonstrate how the method can be used to quantify the stability of states and phases, illustrate the influence of model parameters, and guide model modifications. An R package, simlandr, was developed to provide an implementation of the method

Identifying motivational profiles among VET students : differences in self-efficacy, test anxiety and perceived motivating teaching

There are indicators that a substantial number of students in vocational education and training (VET) experience problems with successfully building their careers. This is often attributed to VET students’ motivation. The present study provides insight into VET students’ motivational profiles based on self- determination theory. Additionally, differences between those motivational profiles in terms of self-efficacy, test anxiety and perception of motivating teaching were investigated. The study involved 195 VET students, from one VET college in the Netherlands. Using latent profile analyses, four motiva- tional profiles were identified that differed with respect to quality and quantity of motivation. Profiles with higher quality (25%) and higher quantity (27%) of motivation were related to higher levels of self-efficacy and perceived motivating teaching compared to profiles with low quantity (7%) or low quality (41%) of motivation. Furthermore, students in the profile with high-quality motivation reported the lowest levels of test anxi- ety. Additionally, our findings suggest there is indeed a relatively large group of VET students (48%) who actually experience motivational problems. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed

Fostering student engagement with motivating teaching : an observation study of teacher and student behaviours

Given the importance of student engagement for students' current and future success, it is essential to explore how teachers can foster student engagement within lessons. This study relied on classroom observations to describe how teachers applied Self-Determination Theory (SDT) related (de)motivating teaching behaviours to foster students' engagement. Results from 120 observed lessons of 43 teachers indicated there were distinct relations between motivating teaching behaviours and student engagement. Most striking regarding the use of motivating teaching behaviours were the higher levels of relatedness support and guidance during activities in lessons in which students showed the highest levels of engagement. Conversely, in lessons where students were least engaged, teachers showed higher levels of chaotic teaching behaviours. Analyses of behaviours within lowly and highly engaging lessons showed that teachers in highly engaging lessons were observed to start with high levels of enthusiasm and after about ten to fifteen minutes focused on activating their students by offering room for experimenting and support while students worked on assignments. In contrast, teachers in lowly engaging lessons seemed to have a tendency to employ demotivating teaching behaviour at the start of the lesson. Implications and directions for future research are discussed