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Taylor, Ian. 2005. NEPAD: TOWARD AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT OR ANOTHER FALSE START? Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers. 212 pp. $49.95 (cloth). The dramatic reappearance of famine in Niger is a painful reminder […]

The present studies examined whether priming distinct motivational states influenced persistence at a task designed to promote repeated failure, and post-task plans for engaging in self-regulatory activity. Two double-blind, between-subject experiments (Study 1: N = 58; Study 2: N = 92) involved participants being randomized to Autonomous Motivation, Controlling Motivation, or Neutral prime conditions using a scrambled-sentence test. Participants then attempted an impossible persistence task that promoted repeated failure. Following, participants reported their plans to engage in exercise. Using frequentist and Bayesian analyses, Study 1, Study 2, and an internal meta-analysis showed no differences in persistence or planned exercise across priming conditions, thus contrasting with previous research. Unanticipated moderation effects or motivational priming effects being smaller than those inputted into a priori power analyses may be the most likely reasons for these findings., Author(s): Stephen L. Murphy [sup.1] , Ian M. Taylor [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.5570.7, 0000 0004 0490 981X, Department of Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, , Universitätsstraße 150, [...]

The aim of the present study was to investigate a think aloud protocol as a novel way to measure indicators of self-control during acts of physical persistence. Using a within-person design, 35 participants (9 males, 26 females) completed two wall-sit persistence tasks, one employing a think aloud protocol, and the other silent. A two-way mixed ANOVA found no significant differences in persistence between conditions, indicating that using the think aloud protocol during the wall-sit did not have a significant effect on persistence. Think aloud scripts of 34 participants (one participant's script was inadmissible) revealed that all participants verbalized negative affect, an essential characteristic of a desire-goal conflict. Thirty-two participants (94%) verbalized conflict resolution strategies. A multiple linear regression found that the length of time from the beginning of the task to the first verbalization of negative affect positively predicted persistence on the wall-sit task ([beta] =0.61; p < 0.001), but the length of time to the first verbalization of conflict resolution did not ([beta] =0.16; p =0.30). This indicates that the time at which negative affect is initially verbalized is a reliable predictor of persistence. The study supports the use of the think aloud protocol in postural persistence tests and other simple physical tasks and supports the possibility that verbalization of negative affect may be an indicator of the initiation of a desire-goal conflict.

Education-based interventions traditionally focus on the teacher to better support pupils' motivation. Grounded in self-determination theory, the study investigates the feasibility of a pupil-focused intervention to help pupils become more active in their search for basic psychological need satisfaction (BPNS). Focus groups and a 2-week pupil completed diary-log were administered with 22 UK secondary school pupils from Years 7 and 8 (aged 11-13 years; 45% male, 55% female) and 12 teachers (42% male, 58% female). Despite perceived value from teachers, a written diary-log appeared to be ineffective in engaging pupils. Pupil-focused initiatives may benefit from support sessions to provide guidance on pupils' reflections, should be incorporated into normal school practices with a showcase event, and be designed in an interactive electronic format. The study offers theoretical considerations regarding pupils' intrapsychic experience of motivation, and provides teacher and pupil insights into the practicalities of conducting pupil-focused interventions based upon BPNS.

Forecasting the recruitment of fish populations with skill has been a challenge in fisheries for over a century. Previous large‐scale meta‐analyses have suggested linkages between environmental or ecosystem drivers and recruitment; however, applying this information in a management setting remains underutilized. Here, we use a well‐studied database of groundfish assessments from the West Coast of the USA to ask whether environmental variables or ecosystem indicators derived from long‐term monitoring datasets offer an improvement in our ability to skilfully forecast fish recruitment. A secondary question is which types of modelling approaches (ranging from linear models to non‐parametric methods) yield the best forecast skill. Third, we examine whether simultaneous forecasting of multiple species offers an advantage over generating species‐specific forecasts. We find that for approximately one third of the 29 assessed stocks, ecosystem indicators from juvenile surveys yields the highest out of sample predictive skill compared to other covariates (including environmental variables from Regional Ocean Modeling System output) or null models. Across modelling approaches, our results suggest that simpler linear modelling approaches do as well or better than more complicated approaches (reducing out of sample Root Mean Square Error by ~40% compared to null models), and that there appears to be little benefit to performing multispecies forecasts instead of single‐species forecasts. Our results provide a general framework for generating recruitment forecasts in other species and ecosystems, as well as a benchmark for future analyses to evaluate skill. The most promising applications are likely for species that are short lived, have relatively high recruitment variability, and moderate amounts of age or length data. Forecasts using our approach may be useful in identifying covariates or mechanisms to include in operational assessments but also provide qualitative advice to managers implementing ecosystem based fisheries management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on self-determination theory, a person-centered methodology was adopted to identify distinct pupil profiles based on their psychological need satisfaction. A sample of 586 pupils (387 male, 199 female; mean age = 12.6, range 11--15 years old) from three secondary schools reported their psychological need satisfaction, and well- and ill-being, with teachers rating pupil achievement. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed five distinct profiles. Four profiles indicated synergy existed between the three needs, showing similar in-group levels of satisfaction across the needs but in varying amounts. Univariate and multivariate analyses, controlling for school and taught subject, revealed the satisfied group displayed the highest classroom performance (F[subscript 4,540] = 7.03; p < 0.001; ?[subscript p][superscript 2] = 0.05), well-being (F[subscript 8,1,136] = 45.63; p < 0.001; Wilk's ? = 0.57; ?[subscript p][superscript 2] = 0.24) and lowest ill-being (F[subscript 8,1,134] = 23.39; p < 0.001; Wilk's ? = 0.74, ?[subscriptp][superscript 2] = 0.14), whereas the dissatisfied group displayed the most adverse outcomes. The findings illustrate that the three psychological needs may operate interdependently and should be considered in combination rather than in isolation. The research offers practical insights into why pupils may function differently in classrooms and could inform targeted initiatives towards pupils with psychological need satisfaction deficits.

Abstract--The National Marine Fisheries Service conducts fishery stock assessments to provide the best scientific information available for the U.S. regional fishery management councils. The assessment models applied in the United [...]