Perceived competence moderates the relation between performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals

In the present research, we conducted 4 studies designed to examine the hypothesis that perceived competence moderates the relation between performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals. Each study yielded supportive data, indicating that the correlation between the 2 goals is lower when perceived competence is high. This pattern was observed at the between- and within-subject level of analysis, with correlational and experimental methods and using both standard and novel achievement goal assessments, multiple operationalizations of perceived competence, and several different types of focal tasks. The findings from this research contribute to the achievement goal literature on theoretical, applied, and methodological fronts and highlight the importance of and need for additional empirical work in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)(journal abstract)

Persuasive technology and users acceptance of e-commerce: exploring perceived persuasiveness

This paper reviews theories and models of users’ acceptance and use in relation to “persuasive technology”, to justify the need to add consideration of ‘perceived persuasiveness’. We conclude by identifying variables associated with perceived persuasiveness, and highlight important future research directions in this domain.

Consideration of persuasive technology on users acceptance of e-commerce: exploring perceived persuasiveness

Persuasive technologies, used within in the domain of interactive technology, are used broadly in social contexts to encourage customers towards positive behavior change. In the context of e-commerce, persuasive technologies have already been extensively applied in the area of marketing to enhancing system credibility, however the issue of ‘persuasiveness’, and its role on positive user acceptance of technology, has not been investigated in the technology acceptance literature. This paper reviews theories and models of users’ acceptance and use in relation with persuasive technology, and identifies their limitation when considering the impact of persuasive technology on users’ acceptance of technology; thus justifying a need to add consideration of ‘perceived persuasiveness’. We conclude by identifying variables associated with perceived persuasiveness, and suggest key research directions for future research.

The perceived impact of the National Health Service on personalised nutrition service delivery among the UK public

Personalised nutrition (PN) has the potential to reduce disease risk and optimise health and performance. Although previous research has shown good acceptance of the concept of PN in the UK, preferences regarding the delivery of a PN service (e.g. online v. face-to-face) are not fully understood. It is anticipated that the presence of a free at point of delivery healthcare system, the National Health Service (NHS), in the UK may have an impact on end-user preferences for deliverances. To determine this, supplementary analysis of qualitative data obtained from focus group discussions on PN service delivery, collected as part of the Food4Me project in the UK and Ireland, was undertaken. Irish data provided comparative analysis of a healthcare system that is not provided free of charge at the point of delivery to the entire population. Analyses were conducted using the 'framework approach' described by Rabiee (Focus-group interview and data analysis. Proc Nutr Soc 63, 655-660). There was a preference for services to be led by the government and delivered face-to-face, which was perceived to increase trust and transparency, and add value. Both countries associated paying for nutritional advice with increased commitment and motivation to follow guidelines. Contrary to Ireland, however, and despite the perceived benefit of paying, UK discussants still expected PN services to be delivered free of charge by the NHS. Consideration of this unique challenge of free healthcare that is embedded in the NHS culture will be crucial when introducing PN to the UK.

Roles of the non-medical prescribing leads within organisations across a Strategic Health Authority: perceived functions and factors supporting the role

Objectives Extending the roles of nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals to include prescribing has been identified as one way of improving service provision. In the UK, over 50 000 non-medical healthcare professionals are now qualified to prescribe. Implementation of non-medical prescribing ( NMP) is crucial to realise the potential return on investment. The UK Department of Health recommends a NMP lead to be responsible for the implementation of NMP within organisations. The aim of this study was to explore the role of NMP leads in organisations across one Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and to inform future planning with regards to the criteria for those adopting this role, the scope of the role and factors enabling the successful execution of the role. Methods Thirty-nine NMP leads across one SHA were approached. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted. Issues explored included the perceived role of the NMP lead, safety and clinical governance procedures and facilitators to the role. Transcribed audiotapes were coded and analysed using thematic analytical techniques. Key findings In total, 27/39 (69.2%) NMP leads were interviewed. The findings highlight the key role that the NMP lead plays with regards to the support and development of NMP within National Health Service trusts. Processes used to appoint NMP leads lacked clarity and varied between trusts. Only two NMP leads had designated or protected time for their role. Strategic influence, operational management and clinical governance were identified as key functions. Factors that supported the role included organisational support, level of influence and dedicated time. Conclusion The NMP lead plays a significant role in the development and implementation of NMP. Clear national guidance is needed with regards to the functions of this role, the necessary attributes for individuals recruited into this post and the time that should be designated to it. This is important as prescribing is extended to include other groups of non-medical healthcare professionals.

The impact of career capital on expatriates’ perceived marketability

We examine how the development of three types of career capital (knowing how, knowing whom, and knowing why) during an international assignment affects the perceived marketability of organizational expatriates. Using the perceived marketability perspective and long-term follow-up data, we show that knowing how is seen as the most transferable type of career capital, while the development of other aspects of career capital has little impact on perceived marketability. We also show that career capital development is more recognized in the external market than by current employers. Our findings expand our understanding of long-term career marketability among people who have completed international assignments.

Neural emotion regulation circuitry underlying anxiolytic effects of perceived control over pain.

Anxiolytic effects of perceived control have been observed across species. In humans, neuroimaging studies have suggested that perceived control and cognitive reappraisal reduce negative affect through similar mechanisms. An important limitation of extant neuroimaging studies of perceived control in terms of directly testing this hypothesis, however, is the use of within-subject designs, which confound participants' affective response to controllable and uncontrollable stress. To compare neural and affective responses when participants were exposed to either uncontrollable or controllable stress, two groups of participants received an identical series of stressors (thermal pain stimuli). One group ("controllable") was led to believe they had behavioral control over the pain stimuli, whereas another ("uncontrollable") believed they had no control. Controllable pain was associated with decreased state anxiety, decreased activation in amygdala, and increased activation in nucleus accumbens. In participants who perceived control over the pain, reduced state anxiety was associated with increased functional connectivity between each of these regions and ventral lateral/ventral medial pFC. The location of pFC findings is consistent with regions found to be critical for the anxiolytic effects of perceived control in rodents. Furthermore, interactions observed between pFC and both amygdala and nucleus accumbens are remarkably similar to neural mechanisms of emotion regulation through reappraisal in humans. These results suggest that perceived control reduces negative affect through a general mechanism involved in the cognitive regulation of emotion.

MLCMS actual use, perceived use, and experiences of use

Mobile learning involves use of mobile devices to participate in learning activities. Most elearning activities are available to participants through learning systems such as learning content management systems (LCMS). Due to certain challenges, LCMS are not equally accessible on all mobile devices. This study investigates actual use, perceived usefulness and user experiences of LCMS use on mobile phones at Makerere University in Uganda. The study identifies challenges pertaining to use and discusses how to improve LCMS use on mobile phones. Such solutions are a cornerstone in enabling and improving mobile learning. Data was collected by means of focus group discussions, an online survey designed based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and LCMS log files of user activities. Data was collected from two courses where Moodle was used as a learning platform. The results indicate positive attitudes towards use of LCMS on phones but also huge challenges whichare content related and technical in nature.

Knowledge translation in Uganda : a qualitative study of Ugandan midwives' and managers' perceived relevance of the sub-elements of the context cornerstone in the PARIHS framework

BACKGROUND: A large proportion of the annual 3.3 million neonatal deaths could be averted if there was a high uptake of basic evidence-based practices. In order to overcome this 'know-do' gap, there is an urgent need for in-depth understanding of knowledge translation (KT). A major factor to consider in the successful translation of knowledge into practice is the influence of organizational context. A theoretical framework highlighting this process is Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS). However, research linked to this framework has almost exclusively been conducted in high-income countries. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the perceived relevance of the subelements of the organizational context cornerstone of the PARIHS framework, and also whether other factors in the organizational context were perceived to influence KT in a specific low-income setting. METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted in a district of Uganda, where focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were conducted with midwives (n = 18) and managers (n = 5) within the catchment area of the general hospital. The interview guide was developed based on the context sub-elements in the PARIHS framework (receptive context, culture, leadership, and evaluation). Interviews were transcribed verbatim, followed by directed content analysis of the data. RESULTS: The sub-elements of organizational context in the PARIHS framework--i.e., receptive context, culture, leadership, and evaluation--also appear to be relevant in a low-income setting like Uganda, but there are additional factors to consider. Access to resources, commitment and informal payment, and community involvement were all perceived to play important roles for successful KT. CONCLUSIONS: In further development of the context assessment tool, assessing factors for successful implementation of evidence in low-income settings--resources, community involvement, and commitment and informal payment--should be considered for inclusion. For low-income settings, resources are of significant importance, and might be considered as a separate subelement of the PARIHS framework as a whole.

A perceived human development index

The objective of the paper is to build a Perceived Human Development Index (PHDI) framework by assembling the HDI components, namely indicators on income, health and education on their subjective version. We propose here to introduce a fourth dimension linked to perceptions on work conditions, given its role in the “happiness” literature and in social policy making. We study how perceptions on satisfaction about the individual’s satisfaction with income, education, work and health are related to their objective counterparts. We use a sample of LAC countries where we take advantage of a larger set of questions on the four groups of social variables mentioned included in the Gallup World Poll by the IADB. We emphasize the impacts of objective income and age on perceptions. Complementarily, in the appendix we use the full sample of 132 countries where a smaller set of variables can be included, which provides a greater degree of freedom to study the impact of objective HDI components observed at country level on the formation of individual’s perception on income, education, work, health and life satisfaction. These exercises provide useful insights about the workings of beneficiaries’ point of view to understand the transmission mechanism of key social policy ingredients into perceptions. In particular, the so-called PHDI may provide a complementary subjective reference to the HDI. We also study how one’s satisfaction with life is established, measuring the relative importance given to income vis-à-vis health and education. Estimating these “instantaneous happiness functions” will help to assess the relative weights attributed to income, health and education in the HDI, which is a benchmark in the multidimensional social indicators toolbox used in practice.

An analysis of the perceived service quality of hospitality industry in Rio de Janeiro through the SERVQUAL model: a multiple case study

Brazil is under political and financial crises where the end seems far away. Because of that, researchers argue that the hotel rooms offered by Rio de Janeiro, built to host the Olympic Games 2016, will be difficult to occupy after the event. It is then necessary for the hotels to understand how guests perceive the service quality in order to adapt to this new era. If guests’ perceptions meet or exceed their expectations, they will be satisfied and will probably return. Thus based on the SERVQUAL approach, this paper aims to study the impact of the service dimensions on the guests’ overall satisfaction at hotels of Rio de Janeiro. Two hotels were considered representative of the city in terms of service quality and customers’ profile. Interviews to the hotel managers were performed, and questionnaires to the guests were administered. Among the five SERVQUAL dimensions – Reliability, Tangibles, Responsiveness, Assurance, and Empathy – the Empathy dimension appears to be the only one that affects the guests’ overall satisfaction. The study could also identify that gender, country of residence, home country and family income have an impact on guests’ satisfaction. This study has no intention of generalization, but rather of refining the theory about services and the SERVQUAL model.

Validação da escala de fatigabilidade percebida para avaliação da fadiga em idosas

The term fatigability concerns the degree of fatigue associated with performing an activity of any type (physical, mental, emotional and / or social). Recently scales for assessing fatigue in the English language were created, however, gaps exist regarding the validity of these scales in relation to oxygen consumption and levels of perceived fatigue. Objective: To investigate the validity of perceived fatigability scale in older women frail and non-frail by the expired gases kinetics. Methods: This is a study of type validation, where were evaluated 48 elderly. The evaluation was conducted at two different sessions. In the first, data were collected demographic partners, as well as assessment of cognitive function, physical health, and the phenotype of frailty. The second was composed by the test 6-minute walk (6MWT) associated the expired gases kinects and assessment of perceived fatigability. Statistical analysis was performed a descriptive analysis and then we used the Pearson correlation test to evaluate the relationship between the measure of perceived fatigue and variables oxygen consumption (VO2), carbon dioxide production (VCO2), respiratory exchange ratio (RER)before and after 6MWT. We used a linear regression model initially considering the following explanatory variable: age, Body Mass Index (BMI), presence of frailty, comorbidities, level of physical activity, distance covered in the 6MWT , the energy cost of walking and severity of fatigability on performance. Results: The final sample consisted of 44 elderly women, 4 elderly were excluded because they didn t complete all phases of this study. The mean age obtained was 75 years (± 7.2 years). There was no significant correlation between fatigability measures and the values of VO2 ( r = .09 , p = .56 ) , VCO2 ( r = .173 , p = .26 ) , RER ( r = - .121 , p = .43 ). The final linear regression model showed that the energy cost of walking, the usual level of physical activity and the performance severity of fatigability explained 83.5 % (R2 = 0.835, p < 0.01) of the variation in the perceived fatigability. Conclusion: Our findings indicate a relationship between greater severity of fatigability and lower levels of physical activity and increased energy cost in walking, suggesting that the fatigability analyses using a simple numeric scale is valid and viable for assessment of fatigue in older women

Stages of behavior change and perceived barriers to physical activity in the elderly living in a medium size city in Brazil

The aim was to analyze the prevalence of the stages of behavior change (BCS) and the perceived barriers to physical activity in older people residents in a medium size city of São Paulo state, Brazil. Seventy-nine older people participated of the study. The BCS was assessed by the Questionnaire of Behavior Chance Stages and those on perception of barriers by the Questionnaire on Barriers to the Practice of Physical Activity in Older People (QBPPAE). Statistical analyses was comprised by the Chi-square test (p<0.05). Data showed that: a) 64,6% of the older people do not practice physical activity and only 22,8% of them have been practicing it on a regular basis for more than 6 months; b) The most perceived barriers were: "Active enough", "Too old"; "Need to rest" and; "Disease or injury"; c) The BCS seems modulate significantly the perception of barriers (p<0.05). We can conclude that: a) most of the older people are in the pre-contemplation, contemplation and preparation stages of the BCS, yet; b) gender influences almost nothing with perception of barriers and; c) the BCS interferes with the type of perceived barriers. Such conclusions support the suggestions that it is necessary to develop specific strategies for different stages of behavior change if it is to minimize the barriers. This may help to find the most effective way to change to more active lifestyle in the elderly.

Walking for leisure among adults from three Brazilian cities and its association with perceived environment attributes and personal factors

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