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Learning Intervetnion with Older Adults

The main goal of this study is to evaluate the effects of racial and ethnic microaggressions on well-being, academic achievement, and cognitive functioning among Latinx undergraduate students. Additionally, this study seeks to examine how ethnic identity might interact with the potential impact of microaggressions across all outcome variables.

Additional file 1: Table 1. Resources shared with participants. Table 2. Interview Guide. Table 3. Means of Study Variables.

The objective of the present investigation will be to examine the unique and combined contribution of self-compassion and well-being on performance in a putting task by golfers.

Loneliness, which may be more prevalent in older than younger adults, may lead to increased subjective cognitive decline and cognitive impairment may in turn predict perceived loneliness. COVID-19 physical distancing restrictions may exacerbate perceived loneliness, especially that experienced by older adults. The present study investigated whether self-reported cognitive abilities (i.e., executive functions) would predict loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Younger (YA; n = 136, 18-35 years), middle-aged (MA; n = 126, 36-54 years), and older (OA; n = 171, 55-88 years) adults completed questionnaires assessing self-reported executive functions (EF) and perceived loneliness using the BRIEF-A and UCLA Loneliness scale respectively. Forty-nine of the 171 older participants partially completed a cognitive learning intervention, which has previously been found to increase EF. In the current study, age group did not significantly predict perceived loneliness. However, OA who participated in the prior intervention reported less loneliness than those who did not participate in the intervention. Additionally, OA who participated in the intervention and self-reported worse EF during the current study, also reported feeling lonelier than adults who did not participate in the intervention. Although results from our prior research found most OA who participated in the intervention improved their EF, the results from the current study suggest that it left them more susceptible to the negative effects of physical distancing restrictions if they had lower self-reported EF during the pandemic. Decreased engagement, real or perceived, in cognitively stimulating activities due to the pandemic strengthens the relationship between lower self-reported EF and perceived loneliness.

Additional file 1:. Complete children and youth movement and play behaviours survey items.

Additional file 3: Table 1. Inside and outside hobbies during COVID-19 virus outbreak. Table 2. New or returning family hobbies during the COVID-19 virus outbreak. Table 3. Use of online resources during the COVID-19 virus outbreak.

Additional file 2:. STROBE statement checklist of items for cross-sectional studies.

Previous cognitive learning interventions have focused primarily on learning one or two novel real-world skills at a time, or utilizing computer-based programs to enhance specific cognitive skills (Ball et. al 2002; Park et. al, 2014). While these studies yielded immediate cognitive improvements in participants, the long-term benefits of continuing to learn several real-world skills in older adulthood is unclear. In the present two studies, the long-term (1-year post-intervention) benefits of a multi-skill learning intervention were investigated with older adult participants. Study 1 (a pilot sample) included 6 participants (67% female, M = 66.33 years, SD = 6.41, range = 58–74 years old) and Study 2 included 27 participants (67% female, M = 69.44 years, SD= 7.12, range = 58–86 years old). Following a three month intervention which entailed simultaneously learning at least three real-world skills, such as photography, drawing, and Spanish, participants’ cognitive abilities were assessed using four tasks (Flanker, Set-Shifting, Dot Counting, and N-Back), as well as RAVLT and Digit Span. Follow-up assessments were completed at three-, six-, and 12-month follow-ups after the interventions. Linear mixed-effects regression models revealed significant cognitive improvements across time points up to one year following the intervention compared to baseline assessments. These promising results support the idea that intense learning experiences may lead to considerable cognitive growth in older adulthood, as they do earlier in the lifespan.

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology and Health Studies, University of Regina. xii, 182 p. Due to the recognition that sport related injury be approached from a biopsychosocial perspective, there has been a push for deeper psychological exploration in research. This has led to interest in two main areas: 1) identifying the psychological variables that may play a role in making an athlete more prone to injury, and 2) an athlete’s emotional, cognitive, and behavioural response to injury and how they influence the rehabilitation process (Almeida et al., 2014). As a result, the study presented in this dissertation explored the psychological factors believed to be important to athlete health. Using path analysis, two path models were presented and tested. The first model depicts the interaction between harmonious passion, self-compassion, psychological flexibility, hardiness, and perceived stress. The second, demonstrates the relationship between these variables when harmonious passion is replaced with obsessive passion and psychological flexibility is replaced with psychological rigidity. Multigroup invariance testing was then conducted in order to investigate possible variance between these psychological factors when athletes were separated into injured and non-injured groups. Two hundred and sixty-three athletes were included in this study and more than half of the athletes identified that they had experienced a sport related injury in the past year (n = 137, 52%). The results of the path analysis indicate that multiple psychological factors impact athlete perceptions of stress. Models met criteria for acceptable fit on all goodness-of-fit indices. However, the results of multigroup path analysis indicated that there were no differences in the relationships between psychological factors when athletes were separated into injured and non-injured groups. Student yes

Objectives The purpose was to explore the relationship between athletes’ self-compassion and perceptions of their teammates’ self-compassion (descriptive norm). A secondary purpose was to explore whether gender moderated this relationship. Design Cross-sectional, online survey. Method Team sport competitive athletes (N = 108; Mage = 23.1 years; SDage = 4.68) reported their descriptive norm perceptions of their teammates’ self-compassion as well as their own self-compassion. Results Hierarchical regression analysis indicated a positive relationship between descriptive norms and self-compassion, explaining 17.2% of the variance in self-compassion. The more it was perceived that teammates were engaging in self-compassion, the more likely athletes reported being self-compassionate (β = 0.39). There were no significant main or interaction effects of gender. Conclusions Athletes’ self-compassion is related to their perceptions of how often their teammates are self-compassionate. Coaches and sport psychologists should encourage athletes to build awareness about how their cognitions and behaviours relate to others’ cognitions and behaviours.