Direct Democracy: Protest Catalyst or Protest Alternative?

This paper presents the first investigation of whether direct democracy supplements or undermines the attendance of demonstrations as a form of protest behavior. A first approach assumes that direct democracy is associated with fewer protests, as they function as a valve that integrates voters’ opinions, preferences, and emotions into the political process. A competing hypothesis proposes a positive relationship between direct democracy and this unconventional form of political participation due to educative effects. Drawing on individual data from recent Swiss Electoral Studies, we apply multilevel analysis and estimate a hierarchical model of the effect of the presence as well as the use of direct democratic institutions on individual protest behavior. Our empirical findings suggest that the political opportunity of direct democracy is associated with a lower individual probability to attend demonstrations.

The implicit achievement motive and general life stress affect time spent on competitive matches in racquet sports

The match time spent on court in racquet sports can be perceived as dependent on the effort an athlete is willing to exert in a competition. Achievement motivation is defined as the effort a person spends on a difficult task with the completion of which she wants to meet a personal standard of excellence, wants to improve herself, or outperform others (McClelland, Atkinson, Clark, & Lowell, 1953). Fifty-two professionals of three racquet sports (tennis, table tennis, and badminton) filled in a questionnaire on their explicit achievement motive, a scale on general life stress, and a measure of the implicit achievement motive. Results indicate that the implicit but not the explicit achievement motive was able to predict the athletes' time spent on court (effort). Additionally the general life stress scale was negatively related to time spent on court. Findings are in line with theoretical assumptions that actual behavior is linked to the implicit achievement motive and that higher levels of general life stress lead to impaired performance in sports.

Eye movements discriminate fatigue due to chronotypical factors and time spent on task--a double dissociation

Systematic differences in circadian rhythmicity are thought to be a substantial factor determining inter-individual differences in fatigue and cognitive performance. The synchronicity effect (when time of testing coincides with the respective circadian peak period) seems to play an important role. Eye movements have been shown to be a reliable indicator of fatigue due to sleep deprivation or time spent on cognitive tasks. However, eye movements have not been used so far to investigate the circadian synchronicity effect and the resulting differences in fatigue. The aim of the present study was to assess how different oculomotor parameters in a free visual exploration task are influenced by: a) fatigue due to chronotypical factors (being a 'morning type' or an 'evening type'); b) fatigue due to the time spent on task. Eighteen healthy participants performed a free visual exploration task of naturalistic pictures while their eye movements were recorded. The task was performed twice, once at their optimal and once at their non-optimal time of the day. Moreover, participants rated their subjective fatigue. The non-optimal time of the day triggered a significant and stable increase in the mean visual fixation duration during the free visual exploration task for both chronotypes. The increase in the mean visual fixation duration correlated with the difference in subjectively perceived fatigue at optimal and non-optimal times of the day. Conversely, the mean saccadic speed significantly and progressively decreased throughout the duration of the task, but was not influenced by the optimal or non-optimal time of the day for both chronotypes. The results suggest that different oculomotor parameters are discriminative for fatigue due to different sources. A decrease in saccadic speed seems to reflect fatigue due to time spent on task, whereas an increase in mean fixation duration a lack of synchronicity between chronotype and time of the day.

Focus on emotion as a catalyst of memory updating during reconsolidation

We share the idea of Lane et al. that successful psychotherapy exerts its effects through memory reconsolidation. To support it, we add further evidence that a behavioral interference may trigger memory update during reconsolidation. Furthermore, we propose that – in addition to replacing maladaptive emotions – new emotions experienced in the therapeutic process catalyze reconsolidation of the updated memory structure.

Days spent in acute care hospitals at the end of life of cancer patients in four Swiss cantons: a retrospective database study (SAKK 89/09).

Number of days spent in acute hospitals (DAH) at the end of life is regarded as an important care quality indicator for cancer patients. We analysed DAH during 90 days prior to death in patients from four Swiss cantons. Claims data from an insurance provider with about 20% market share and patient record review identified 2086 patients as dying of cancer. We calculated total DAH per patient. Multivariable generalised linear modelling served to evaluate potential explanatory variables. Mean DAH was 26 days. In the multivariable model, using complementary and alternative medicine (DAH = 33.9; +8.8 days compared to non-users) and canton of residence (for patient receiving anti-cancer therapy, Zürich DAH = 22.8 versus Basel DAH = 31.4; for other patients, Valais DAH = 22.7 versus Ticino DAH = 33.7) had the strongest influence. Age at death and days spent in other institutions were additional significant predictors. DAH during the last 90 days of life of cancer patients from four Swiss cantons is high compared to most other countries. Several factors influence DAH. Resulting differences are likely to have financial impact, as DAH is a major cost driver for end-of-life care. Whether they are supply- or demand-driven and whether patients would prefer fewer days in hospital remains to be established.