scholarly journals Exploring Idiographic Approaches to Children's Executive Function Performance: An Intensive Longitudinal Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-87
Author(s):  
Dian Yu ◽  
Pei-Jung Yang ◽  
G. John Geldhof ◽  
Corine P. Tyler ◽  
Patricia K. Gansert ◽  
...  

Traditional variable-centered research on executive functions (EFs) often infers intraindividual development using group-based averages. Such a method masks meaningful individuality and involves the fallacy of equating group-level data with person-specific changes. We used an intensive longitudinal design to study idiographic executive function fluctuation among ten boys from Grade 4. Each of the participants completed between 33 and 43 measurement occasions (M = 38.8) across approximately three months. Data were collected remotely using a computerized short version of the Dimensional Change Card Sort task. Multi-group analyses of three participant pairs (Participants 5 and 3, 5 and 2, and 5 and 6) demonstrated that Participant 5 differed from Participants 3 and 2 in different ways but Participants 5 and 6 were similar in all comparisons. Dynamic structural equation modeling demonstrated unique individual trajectories, which were not represented by the trajectory of group-averages. Although more than half of the participants showed a negative association between EFs and inattention, two participants showed a positive association between EF and inattention. This study demonstrated meaningful person-specific trajectories of EFs, suggesting that future study should undertake the analysis of individual development before data-aggregation or generalization from aggregate statistics to individuals.

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Bălăceanu ◽  
Delia Vîrgă ◽  
Laurentiu Maricuțoiu

Abstract Based on the Job Demands-Resources theory, this meta‐analysis investigates the role of resources in predicting feedback-seeking behavior (FSB) over time. We also examine the relationship between FSB and its outcomes from a systematic review perspective. The eligibility criteria were: (a) to measure feedback-seeking behavior, (b) to have a longitudinal design, and (c) to have employees as target groups. Thirteen studies met these criteria (Ntotal= 1,527). We combined the meta-analysis procedures and structural equation modeling (metaSEM) and used the systematic review. The methodological quality of the available longitudinal studies is assessed. Our findings indicated that job resources predict future feedback-seeking behavior and between feedback-seeking behavior and personal resources is significant relationship. More research is needed to clarify the reciprocal relationships between personal resources and feedback-seeking behavior and the influences of feedback-seeking behavior on performance.


Author(s):  
Oi-Ling Siu ◽  
Qianting Kong ◽  
Ting-Kin Ng

The COVID-19 pandemic has created more occupational stressors, particularly work–family interface issues. The purpose of this study was to investigate the moderating role of occupational stressors in the relationship between a personal resource (psychological capital) and family satisfaction. A cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 787 employees (367 males, 420 females) from the Greater Bay Area of China between October and November 2020. Participants completed an online survey which included the Chinese version of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire, measures of occupational stressors from the Work Stress Management DIY Kit and a measure of family satisfaction. Latent moderated structural equation modeling revealed that family satisfaction was positively associated with psychological capital and negatively associated with occupational stressors. Furthermore, occupational stressors weakened the positive association between psychological capital and family satisfaction. These findings provided empirical evidence for the work–home resources model and may suggest that it would be beneficial to boost psychological capital and reduce occupational stressors of employees.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dustin Albert ◽  
Jamie Lars Hanson ◽  
Ann Skinner ◽  
Ken Dodge ◽  
Laurence Steinberg ◽  
...  

Children from families with low socioeconomic status (SES) earn lower grades, perform worse on achievement tests, and attain less education on average than their peers from higher-SES families. We evaluated neurocognitive mediators of SES disparities in achievement in a diverse sample of youth whose data were linked to administrative records of performance on school-administered tests of 7th grade reading and math proficiency (*N*=203). We used structural equation modeling to evaluate whether associations between SES (measured at ages 8-9) and achievement (measured at age 13) are mediated by verbal ability and executive function (measured at age 10), a suite of top-down mental processes that facilitate control of thinking and behavior. Children from relatively higher-SES families performed better than their lower-SES peers on all neurocognitive and achievement measures, and SES disparities in both reading and math achievement were partially mediated by variation in executive function, but not verbal ability. SES disparities in executive function explained approximately 37% of the SES gap in math achievement and 17% of the SES gap in reading achievement. Exploratory modeling suggests that SES-related variation in working memory may play a particularly prominent role in mediation. We discuss potential implications of these findings for research, intervention programming, and classroom practice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Kupis ◽  
Zachary T. Goodman ◽  
Salome Kornfeld ◽  
Celia Romero ◽  
Bryce Dirks ◽  
...  

Obesity is associated with negative physical and mental health outcomes. Being overweight/obese is also associated with executive functioning impairments and structural changes in the brain. However, the impact of body mass index (BMI) on the relationship between brain dynamics and executive function (EF) is unknown. The goal of the study was to assess the modulatory effects of BMI on brain dynamics and EF. A large sample of publicly available neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessment data collected from 253 adults (18–45 years; mean BMI 26.95 kg/m2 ± 5.90 SD) from the Nathan Kline Institute (NKI) were included (http://fcon_1000.projects.nitrc.org/indi/enhanced/). Participants underwent resting-state functional MRI and completed the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) test battery (1). Time series were extracted from 400 brain nodes and used in a co-activation pattern (CAP) analysis. Dynamic CAP metrics including dwell time (DT), frequency of occurrence, and transitions were computed. Multiple measurement models were compared based on model fit with indicators from the D-KEFS assigned a priori (shifting, inhibition, and fluency). Multiple structural equation models were computed with interactions between BMI and the dynamic CAP metrics predicting the three latent factors of shifting, inhibition, and fluency while controlling for age, sex, and head motion. Models were assessed for the main effects of BMI and CAP metrics predicting the latent factors. A three-factor model (shifting, inhibition, and fluency) resulted in the best model fit. Significant interactions were present between BMI and CAP 2 (lateral frontoparietal (L-FPN), medial frontoparietal (M-FPN), and limbic nodes) and CAP 5 (dorsal frontoparietal (D-FPN), midcingulo-insular (M-CIN), somatosensory motor, and visual network nodes) DTs associated with shifting. A higher BMI was associated with a positive relationship between CAP DTs and shifting. Conversely, in average and low BMI participants, a negative relationship was seen between CAP DTs and shifting. Our findings indicate that BMI moderates the relationship between brain dynamics of networks important for cognitive control and shifting, an index of cognitive flexibility. Furthermore, higher BMI is linked with altered brain dynamic patterns associated with shifting.


Author(s):  
Stephen K. Callaway ◽  
Saad M. Alflayyeh

Distance education has been the topic of a substantial amount of research. However, prior studies have shown mixed results when trying to determine if a difference exists in student satisfaction between students in distance courses versus traditional courses. Prior empirical studies have been too narrow in scope, and a more comprehensive model is needed to better explain the factors influencing student satisfaction. Therefore, the current study includes student demographic factors, comprehensive measures of student motivation, and course format, as well as specific course features included, to fully explain student satisfaction. Structural equation modeling is used to test the model. Results indicate a positive association between demographics and motivation, between motivation and course format, between one demographic factor and course format, between course format and preferred features, between course format and satisfaction, and between course features and satisfaction.


2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (11) ◽  
pp. 2325-2340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moustafa Abdelmotaleb ◽  
Abdelmoneim Bahy Eldin Mohamed Metwally ◽  
Sudhir K. Saha

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the emotional or affective mechanisms that underlie the relationship between employees’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and employee attitudes and behaviors. Drawing on affective events theory (AET), this study examines a sequential mediation model in which CSR perceptions influence positive affect (PA) at work which leads to employee engagement in the creative process that, in turn, affects employee creative behaviors.Design/methodology/approachTwo-wave data were collected from a sample of employees working in the telecommunication sector in Egypt (N=208). The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.FindingsThe study found a positive association between CSR perceptions and employee creative behaviors. The results also showed that CSR perceptions have induced PA, which, in turn, led to greater level of engagement in the creative process and eventually led employees to exhibit creative behaviors.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies to use AET as a conceptual framework to explain the positive association between CSR and employee positive work outcomes (i.e. creativity). By integrating AET with CSR and employee outcomes literatures, this study contributes to the available knowledge regarding the affective or emotional mechanisms through which CSR perceptions could affect employee work behaviors.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 521-528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fuad Bakioğlu ◽  
Zafer Kiraz

El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar el papel mediador del cinismo en la relación entre el agotamiento y el bienestar. Los participantes fueron 326 maestros candidatos [189 (58%) mujeres, 137 (42%) hombres, Medad = 23.14 años, SD = 2.36] que completaron los cuestionarios el grupo de Burnout Measure Short Version, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Life with Satisfaction Scale y el Hunter Cynicism Scale. Los datos fueron analizados utilizando modelos de ecuaciones estructurales. Se realizó un análisis de arranque para determinar los efectos indirectos. Los resultados mostraron que el agotamiento predijo el cinismo de manera positiva y el bienestar de manera negativa, y que el cinismo predijo el bienestar de manera negativa. Se encontró además que se confirmó el modelo de ecuación estructural que proponía que el agotamiento tenía un efecto directo e indirecto a través del cinismo sobre el bienestar. Los resultados del estudio se discutieron a la luz de la literatura relevante, y se hicieron sugerencias para futuros estudios. The aim of this study was to investigate a mediator role of cynicism in the relationship between burnout and wellbeing. Participants were 326 teacher candidates [189 (58%) female, 137 (42%) male, Mage = 23.14 years, SD = 2.36] who completed questionnaires package the Burnout Measure Short Version, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Life with Satisfaction Scale and the Hunter Cynicism Scale. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. A bootstrapping analysis was conducted in order to determine any indirect effects. The results showed that burnout predicted cynicism positively and wellbeing negatively, and that cynicism predicted wellbeing negatively. It was further found that the structural equation model that proposed that burnout had a direct and an indirect effect through cynicism on wellbeing was confirmed. The results of the study were discussed in the light of relevant literature, and suggestions for future studies were made.


Author(s):  
Andrea S Richardson ◽  
Rebecca L Collins ◽  
Madhumita Ghosh-Dastidar ◽  
Feifei Ye ◽  
Gerald P Hunter ◽  
...  

Abstract Neighborhood socioeconomic conditions (NSEC) are associated with resident diet, but most research has been cross-sectional. We capitalize on a natural experiment where one neighborhood experienced substantial investments, compared to a sociodemographically similar neighborhood that did not, in order to examine pathways from neighborhood investments to changed NSEC and changed dietary behavior. We examine differences between renters and homeowners. Data are from a random sample of households (n=831) in each of these low-income Pittsburgh neighborhoods who were surveyed in 2011 and 2014. Structural equation modeling tested direct and indirect pathways from neighborhood to resident dietary quality, adjusting for individual-level sociodemographics, with multi-group testing by homeowners versus renters. Neighborhood investments were directly associated with improved dietary quality for both renters (β, 95% confidence interval [CI]) =0.27, CI: 0.05, 0.50) and homeowners (β=0.51, CI: 0.10, 0.92). Among renters, investments were also associated with dietary quality through a positive association with commercial prices (β= 0.34, CI: 0.15, 0.54) and a negative association with residential prices (β=-0.30, CI: -0.59, -0.004). Among homeowners, we did not observe any indirect pathways from investments to dietary quality through tested mediators. Investing in neighborhoods may support resident diet, doing so through improvements in neighborhood commercial environments for renters, but mechanisms appear to differ for homeowners.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 440-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Partiwi Dwi Astuti ◽  
Anis Chariri ◽  
Abdul Rohman

Purpose: This study aims to examine the association between intellectual capital and competitive advantage in the hotel industry in Bali Province, Indonesia. The interrelationship between components of intellectual capital –human capital, relational capital, structural capital – were tested in this study, and testing was also carried out for the association of intellectual capital – represented by structural capital – with competitive advantage. Methodology: Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 172 questionnaires were sent to general managers of three-, four- and five-star hotels in Bali Province. A total of 109 questionnaires were returned and could be analysed (a 63% response rate). The analysis was performed using covariance-based structural equation modeling with AMOS 21.0 software. Main Findings: The findings show that between the components of intellectual capital there is a positive and significant association: human capital with relational capital, human capital with structural capital and relational capital with structural capital. The findings also show that structural capital has a significant positive association with a competitive advantage. Implications: Mobilising and utilising human capital as much as possible can create and enhance relational capital and structural capital. Willingness to realise, utilise, compile and develop organizational knowledge enables long-term competitive advantages to be achieved. Novelty: This study examines the association of intellectual capital – facilitated by structural capital – and competitive advantage, which researchers have not done before in the hotel industry.


2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 601-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver A. Brust ◽  
Sabine Häder ◽  
Michael Häder

Abstract The inclusion of psychological indicators in survey research has become more common because they offer the possibility of explaining much of the variance in sociological variables. The Big Five personality dimensions in particular are often used to explain opinions, attitudes, and behavior. However, the short versions of the Big Five Inventory (BFI-S) were developed for face-to-face surveys. Studies have shown distortions in the identification of the Big Five factor structure in subsamples of older respondents in landline telephone surveys. We applied the same BFI-S but with a shorter rating scale in a telephone survey with two subsamples (landline and mobile phone). Using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), we identified the Big Five structure in the subsamples and the age groups. This finding leads us to conclude that the BFI-S is a powerful means of including personality characteristics in telephone surveys.


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