The Motivation Gradient of Maintenance: Maintenance Goals Are Uniquely Influenced by Proximity to the Ideal State

When are people motivated to maintain what they have? We tested differences in the motivation to maintain versus approach and avoidance at different distances from one’s ideal state. Although keeping things as they are (maintenance) is often equated with avoiding changes, we predicted pronounced differences between these two goals. We reasoned that maintenance goals are energized by appreciation for the current state, which increases and leads to greater motivation with proximity to the ideal state. Avoidance, in contrast, is motivated by threat and should decrease as one’s situation improves. We tested these predictions in hypothetical scenarios (Study 1; N = 399) and real-life goals (Study 2; N = 401). Both studies confirm a pattern wherein the motivation gradient of maintenance is distinct from both approach and avoidance. More broadly, our results support a theoretical framework that distinguishes between three basic goals types, and may inspire future research in that direction.

Omnidirectional and omnifunctional connectivity analyses with a diverse species pool

Connectivity among habitat patches in both natural and disturbed landscapes needs to be accounted for in conservation planning for biodiversity maintenance. Yet methods to assess connectivity are often limited, because simulating the dispersal of many species is computationally prohibitive, and current simulations make simplifying assumptions about movement that are potentially erroneous. Here we show how these limits can be circumvented and propose a novel framework for the assessment of omnifunctional and omnidirectional connectivity in a 28000 km2 area in the Laurentian region of Québec, Canada. Our approach relies on (i) the use of Omniscape, an improved version of Circuitscape which allows omnidirectional simulations that better emulate animal movement and (ii) the synthesis of large volume of species-level dispersal simulations through a posteriori clustering of the current intensity. Our analysis reveals that the movement of 93 species evaluated can be clustered into three functional dispersal guilds, corresponding to mostly aquatic species, terrestrial species able to use aquatic environments, and strictly terrestrial species. These functional guilds do not share connectivity hotspots, suggesting that corridor planning would need to account for the multiplicity of dispersal strategies. Although this approach requires a large volume of computing resources, it provides richer information on which landscape features are critical to maintain or need to be regenerated for broader biodiversity maintenance goals.

Physical activity goals among patients in a primary care setting

One approach to increasing physical activity (PA) among adults is to develop interventions targeting PA goals that could be implemented in the primary care setting. However, there is little understanding of the types of goals that individuals bring with them into the primary care setting, which is a necessary first step in building interventions. There were three objectives of the study. One was to identify the types of PA goals held by primary care patients. Another was to examine whether there were racial differences among types of PA goals held by primary care patients. A final objective was to examine the relationship between PA goals and PA behaviors (e.g., meet PA guidelines, number of breaks taken from PA routine). Adults (N = 626; Mage = 51.47, SD = 16.32) were recruited from the waiting room of a primary care clinic over a 30-day span to complete a questionnaire on PA and goals. The most commonly endorsed PA goals included, weight maintenance, overall health benefits, weight loss, well-being, body tone and/or shape, stress reduction, cardiovascular health, and energy level. Black patients were more likely than White patients to report weight loss and weight maintenance goals. Weight maintenance, overall health, and stress reduction are the goals for which the greatest percentage of individuals reported meeting aerobic PA guidelines. Finally, number of breaks taken and average length of breaks were similar across type of PA goal. A relatively small number of goals reflected a majority of the goals pursued by participants in this study. Racial differences in adoption of weight loss and weight maintenance goals highlight the need for further investigation into such differences. Finally, future research should consider the role that goal setting plays in PA adherence, paying particular attention to disparate levels of PA across racial groups.

How Consumers’ Political Ideology and Status-Maintenance Goals Interact to Shape Their Desire for Luxury Goods

This research distinguishes between the goal of maintaining status and advancing status and investigates how consumers’ political ideology triggers sensitivity to a status-maintenance (vs. status-advancement) goal, subsequently altering luxury consumption. Because conservative political ideology increases the preference for social stability, the authors propose that conservatives (vs. liberals) are more sensitive to status maintenance (but not status advancement) and thus exhibit a greater desire for luxury goods when the status-maintenance goal is activated. Six studies assessing status maintenance using sociodemographic characteristics (Studies 1, 2, and 3a) and controlled manipulations, including ad framing (Study 3b) and semantic priming (Studies 4 and 5), provide support for this proposition. The studies show that the effect is specific to status maintenance and does not occur (1) in the absence of a status goal or (2) when the status-advancement goal (a focus on increasing status) is activated. Overall, the findings reveal that conservatives’ desire for luxury goods stems from the goal of maintaining status and offer insights into how luxury brands can effectively tailor their communications to audiences with a conservative ideology.

Pesan Profetik Lingkungan dalam Hadis

Lack of understanding religious texts, anthropocentric views and lack of integral consciousness of human in the universe are the causes of environmental damages. Understanding of environmental prophetic message in hadith is one way to solve the problems. The sentences relating to preserving the environment in the hadith are ḥafiẓa and ra‘ā, while those affiliated to destruction are fasada and halaka. By using thematic approaches to the sentence in various texts of hadith, there are basic ideas about environmental prophetic message delivered by Rasulullah PBUH. In preserving the environment, prophetic messages cover maintenance goals, inclusive ownership, positive contributions, using based on uses, sustainable program, limit uses, and jointly supervised on using environment. The environmental damages include exploitative goals, exclusive ownership, negative contributions, incorrect uses, unsustainable programs, unlimited uses, and self-supervised. The religious texts on the environment in hadith are not preserved text. These texts should always be lived on to bring a new interpretation of the existing environmental phenomenon. Keywords: hadith, prophetic messages, environment, prophetic ecocentrism

Transnationalism and language maintenance: Czech and Slovak as heritage languages in the Southeastern United States

This qualitative study examines heritage language maintenance goals, motivation, and strategies in eleven Czech and Slovak immigrant families in the Southeastern United States. The goals of this article are threefold. First, this article outlines the changes in Czech and Slovak immigration patterns over time, documenting that while Czech immigrants used to settle mainly in Texas and the Midwest in the past, they generally opt for the East and West Coast today. Second, this article describes language practices of current Czech and Slovak immigrants in the Southeast and finds that the most successful factors of heritage language (HL) retention include: (a) expectations that children will need the language in the future; (b) consistent HL use by both parents; (c) annual lengthy trips overseas; and (d) parental ability to use additional strategies, such as involving grandparents or employing Slavic au pairs. Third, this article compares today’s HL maintenance with the classical period of immigration. In the past, Czech and Slovak children in the United States learned and used their native languages within ethnic communities. Today, the necessity to learn and use Czech or Slovak in the context of the United States has largely disappeared. Instead, it is the transnational context that is vital for HL retention.