Academic literature on the topic 'Regulation of psychological'

Abstract Close relationships represent an important context for aging. Romantic partners can provide important resources for day-to-day individual and relational functioning by regulating their emotions together. Emotional co-regulation attempts are, however, not always successful and may depend on situational factors such as psychological availability, i.e., an individual’s current ability to be open and attentive to their partner’s needs. The present study examined emotional co-regulation in the daily lives of younger (N=62; 18-33 years) and older (N=56; 57-87 years) couples, focusing on the particular role of psychological availability. In a 21-day experience-sampling study, both participating partners reported their momentary emotional experiences, perceived psychological availability, relationship quality and (co)-regulation strategies three times a day. Results from dyadic multilevel modeling revealed that older and younger participants did not differ in the strategies they used to regulate their own and their partners emotions, but older couples showed greater emotional synchrony (i.e., coordinated changes between partners’ emotional experiences) throughout the study. When partners experienced greater psychological availability, they used more adaptive (e.g., positive humor, responsive touch) and fewer maladaptive (e.g., ruminative brooding) emotion regulation strategies. They also experienced more positive emotions and greater relationship quality when they were more psychologically available, and these associations were particularly evident among younger couples. The findings suggest that older partners were more attuned to each other’s emotions, but that their co-regulation depended less on psychological availability. This potentially speaks to more automatic co-regulation among older couples and opens the door for further investigations of situational factors that impact successful co-regulation.

Předkládaný článek se zamýšlí nad tím, zda existuje právní úprava, která reguluje používání psychologické diagnostiky v pracovněprávních vztazích. Článek dochází k závěru, že právní úprava pracovně psychologické diagnostiky existuje, protože se jedná o formu zjišťování informací o zaměstnancích nebo uchazečů o zaměstnání. Článek řeší např. otázku, jaké testy může pracovní psycholog používat, zda musí poskytnout výsledky testů testovanému, či zda existují sankce za porušení vyvozených pravidel. Na základě analýzy právní úpravy autor vyvozuje pravidla, pro používání psychologické diagnostiky v pracovně právních vztazích. Své závěry se autor snaží ověřovat dotazy na správní orgány, které vykonávají dohled nad dodržováním relevantní právní úpravy.The paper considers whether the Czech law includes any legal regulation of psychological testing in labour relations. The author argues that psychological testing in labour relations is indeed regulated by the law because psychological testing represents a type of obtaining information about an employee or a future employee. The paper proposes arguments why some tests should not be used for psychological testing in labour relations, why test takers have the right to access the results of testing. The paper also considers if there are any penalizations for not following the regulations. Based on the analysis of legal regulation the author proposes several rules for the use of psychological testing in labour relations. For the validation of his findings the author contacted legal authorities that enforce labour law.

To investigate and correlate the relationship between motivational regulation and the fulfilment of basic psychological needs among university students. A total of 329 university students took part in this study. The instruments used to analyze motivational regulation were the Physical Exercise Behaviour Regulation Questionnaire — 3 and the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale. The Statistic Package for Social Sciences software was used. Basic psychological needs are positively related to the more internal constructs of motivational regulation (intrinsic and integrated), as well as to the self-determination index. The results show that there is a relationship between the constructs of the self-determination theory, since the higher the levels of satisfaction of basic psychological needs, the greater the more self-determined motivational regulations, favoring positive behavior with regard to physical exercise.

Self-determination theory has been predominantly used as a psychological framework to describe human motivation. It classifies three types of motivation with various forms of regulations, ranging from amotivation, extrinsic motivation (i.e., extrinsic regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, and integrated regulation), to intrinsic motivation. In addition, it points out three basic psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, relatedness, competence) which are essential components to enhance the process of internalisation, meaning motivations driven by identified, integrated and intrinsic regulations. This study aims to provide statistical evidence of statistical correlations among these factors and regulations. To achieve this, an online questionnaire with 9 close-ended statements based on 5-Likert scale was distributed to high-school students and school leavers in Thailand. A total of 206 responses were received. Overall, a correlational analysis showed a positive correlation between internalisation and the basic psychological needs (r = 0.4). Furthermore, there was a moderate positive correlation between integrated correlation and intrinsic motivation (r = 0.6) which support the described theoretical framework. In addition, there was a moderate positive correlation between autonomy and competence (r = 0.6) in the perspective of psychological needs. However, the statistical evidence shows a moderate relationship between identified regulation and external regulation (r = 0.6) which adds an insightful finding to our current understanding. It is suggested that in order to increase the level of internalisation, it is essential to provide a learning environment where students can feel the sense of success (competence), constructive relationship with others (relatedness), and a fair degree of self-regulated learning (autonomy).

Objectives This study aimed to examine the impact of Mother’s Covert Narcissism on Psychological Control over their children in late childhood and to identify the mediating roles of Child-Based Self-Worth and Emotional Regulation Difficulties. Methods To achieve this, data from 329 mothers raising children aged 11 to 13 were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and SPSS PROCESS Macro (ver. 3.5). Results First, Mother’s Covert Narcissism, Psychological Control, Child-Based Self-Worth, and Emotional Regulation Difficulties all showed significant positive correlations. Second, Mother’s Covert Narcissism directly influenced Psychological Control over their children, while also exerting an indirect effect through the mediating variables of child-involved self-worth and Emotional Regulation Difficulties. Third, it was confirmed that Child-Based Self-Worth and Emotional Regulation Difficulties sequentially mediated the relationship between Mother’s Covert Narcissism and Psychological Control. Conclusions Based on these findings, the study suggests the need to address Mother’s Covert Narcissism, Child-Based Self-Worth, and Emotional regulation in counseling settings to improve and prevent psychologically controlling parenting styles that hinder the development of autonomy in late childhood.

The present study aimed to evaluate the association between measures of psychological flexibility and emotional deregulation in university students from the State of Paraíba. A cross-sectional, quantitative, descriptive field study was conducted, applied online, through a form generated by Google Forms. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 21.0), with Pearson's correlational analysis, Student's t-test and descriptive statistics of the means. The instruments used were the AAQ-II, the Emotional Regulation Difficulty Scale (DERS), and a sociodemographic questionnaire. The sample consisted of 288 participants, of both genders with a mean age of 25.4 years. The results showed that the students presented moderate levels for both Psychological Flexibility factor and Emotional Regulation, moreover, strong and positive correlations were observed between Psychological Inflexibility and Difficulty in Emotional Regulation, indicating the possibility of functionality of such transdiagnostic mechanisms in the maintenance of psychological distress. The group that reported having a psychiatric diagnosis showed higher scores on the measures of inflexibility and emotion dysregulation. Therefore, the relevance of strategies to maintain psychological flexibility and emotion regulation in the mental health of college students from Paraiba is perceived.

Introduction The main scientific task of the study is at the intersection of two fundamental areas of psychology - self-regulation of human mental states and management of educational activities. In the context of these problems, we study the self-regulation of states in academic activities. Objectives The purpose of the study is to show the patterns of mental organization of the person that ensure the regulation of states. Methods The theoretical basis of the study is the system approach. The typical methods and techniques of self-regulation of states, as well as the influence of mental structures on students’ self-regulation have been studied. To solve the problems, standardized psychological tests have been used (23 methods, 303 indicators). The research involved 206 students. Results We have revealed the features of the relationship between the quality of students’ subject training, regulatory abilities and mental states. It indicates that the effectiveness of students’ mental states self-regulation significantly affects the productivity of the semester exam. It has been established the properties of the personality providing high efficiency of self-regulation (adequacy, awareness, independence and assertiveness). Students with high self-regulation efficiency use a wide range of regulatory means. Conclusions The study of the influence of the mental structures on self-regulation and regulatory abilities of students confirmed the hypothesis that characteristics of mental organization play the central role in the regulation of psychological states. The research has been carried out with the financial support of the RFBR, project No. 19-29-07072. Disclosure No significant relationships.

IntroductionA system model of self-regulation of students’ psychological states has been developed. As the main elements, the model includes the relationship between states and characteristics of consciousness, external factors and regulatory actions in a certain time range.ObjectivesTo study conscious and unconscious methods of regulation of states in the relevant sections of the educational activities of students.Methods98 students took part in this research, used different techniques of self-regulation and psychological states diagnosis.ResultsThe regulation of psychological states occurs unconsciously. The success of the applied methods is relative and depends on both educational and personal factors. The regulators of states are various personal qualities. These are reflection, metacognitive abilities, intelligence, as well as the general ability to self-regulate. We discovered the influence of the meaningfulness of life on the psychological states. In the structure of students’ states with a high level of meaningfulness of life an indicator of the general ability to self-regulation plays a central role.Indicators of emotional intelligence and locus of control characterize states of students with a low level of meaningfulness of life.ConclusionsIt has been found that the level of reflection of students plays a mediating role in the interaction of psychological states and adaptation processes. Emotional comfort, internal control, and self-acceptance have the greatest impact on states. The research confirmed the hypothesis of reflexive regulation of psychological states depending on various types of reflection during the performance of creative tasks. The research was carried out with the financial support of the RFBR; project No.19-013-00325.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

The article presents the analytical review of theories and studies of the psychological state regulation through the “self-processes — self-regulation” aspect. The main objective of the article is the analysis of concepts, mechanisms and the role of consciousness structures in the regulatory process. The theories of mental states self-regulation are analyzed: system-activity, system-functional and structures-functional. The specificity of each approach to the regulatory process is shown. It was found that the less developed area in presented theoretical constructions is the mental component of regulation: the contribution of the consciousness structures to the regulation of states, their significance and functions in the regulatory process, the specificity of the influence of individual structures on regulation and their synergy during self-regulation, etc. Review of the concepts of the mental states regulation’s mechanisms points the key role of the consciousness structures in the regulatory process. The consciousness structures are an integral part of the individual’s mental subjective experience. Subjective mental experience integrates meanings with categorical structures of consciousness, goal features, semantic structures of consciousness (personal meaning, values, semantic attitudes, etc.), reflection and its types, experiences, mental representations (imaginative characteristics), the self-system. The relationship between the consciousness structures in the process of mental states regulation is considered. It is shown that the integration of the consciousness components is aimed at the goal achieving — the regulation of the subject’s mental stateThe operational side of the regulatory process is associated with the actions of the subject, aimed at changing the state, feedback and time characteristics.

The principal aim of this thesis is to examine how emotion regulation and mindfulness are related to cardiovascular activity and the implications of these relationships for the understanding of aggression. Studies one and two aimed to detail the relationship of mindfulness to psychopathic traits and emotion regulation. Results of these studies collectively imply that mindfulness shares certain features with primary psychopathic traits, including reduced physiological responding to aversive stimuli. Study three aimed to investigate whether slow-paced breathing, associated with an increase in vagal output and thus decrease in heart rate, may exert effects on emotion regulation. Participation in a paced breathing course improved emotion regulation and increased trait mindfulness in a sample of male offenders. Study four aimed to explore how cardiovascular activity and psychopathic traits relate to female perpetrated intimate partner violence. Increased vagal activity, was found to be positively linked to proactive aggression and partner violence. Study five aimed to extend the results of Study four to a sample of male offenders. The results showed that high vagal activity is related to low empathy and good performance on the Stroop task. Collectively, these findings have implications for the use of mindfulness based treatments and the understanding of aggression.

Diese Dissertation untersuchte individuelle Anpassungsprozesse, die psychologische Distanz in Fernbeziehungen (FB) reflektieren und regulieren. Es wurde postuliert, dass Beziehungsqualität und -stabilität ohne Präsenz des Partners gesichert wird, indem viele kompensatorischen Prozesse auf die wahrgenommene Verfügbarkeit des Partners (Bowlby, 1969/1980), abzielen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen dass die im Vergleich zu zusammenlebenden Paaren erhöhte Bindungsängstlichkeit bei FBs die inkonsistente Verfügbarkeit des Partners reflektiert, und insgesamt für die Beziehungsentwicklung weniger schädlich ist als Vermeidung. Bindung reguliert ferner die psychologische Distanz durch den Einfluss auf adaptive Kommunikationsprozesse. Wenn Aspekte wie sexuelle Zufriedenheit nicht kompensiert werden können, scheinen FBs ihre Einschätzung der Beziehung stark auf Momente des Sehens und die Beziehungsqualität zurückzuführen.<br>This dissertation proposed how relationship quality and stability in long-distance relationships (LDRs) is maintained without physical presence of the partner by basing compensatory processes on perceived partner availability, a core component of attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969/1980). The findings indicate that heightened anxiety reflects the inconsistent partner availability in LDRs, and is less detrimental to relationship development than avoidance. Attachment orientations further regulated the psychological distance between partners by influencing adaptive and protective communicative processes. There was indication that when relational aspects, such as sexual satisfaction, cannot be compensated for, LDRs base their evaluation on face-to-face experiences and general relationship quality indicators. 1

Obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21^st century, associated with a range of adverse physical, psychological, social and economic consequences. The aetiology of obesity is complex; however, the psychological factors associated with overweight and obesity remain poorly understood. The first paper critically appraises evidence for three of the most developed psychological theories of obesity. Based on these findings, literature from the fields of emotion regulation and attachment are reviewed, and a novel developmental theory of obesity based on an integration of these theoretical constructs is proposed. Recommendations for future research based on a theoretical framework of emotion regulation are made, and implications for clinical practice including a focus on enhancing caregiver sensitivity are highlighted. The second paper explores the applicability of an established cognitive model of Bulimia Nervosa (BN) and binge eating to an overweight and obese sample. Findings support the relevance of cognitive aspects of the model in an overweight and obese sample, and highlight the potential role of early attachment relationships in the formation of cognitions that make an individual vulnerable to overweight and obesity in later life. Theoretical and clinical implications based on the established cognitive model are considered. Limitations include reliance on self-report and the correlational nature of analyses used. Recommendations for future research with larger, more representative samples to address these limitations are made. Overall, this dissertation makes a unique contribution to the psychological understanding of overweight and obesity, which has the potential to enhance treatment outcomes and suggests useful avenues for further research.

Background: Depressive symptoms have been found to accompany and develop following psychosis. Depression following psychosis has been associated with negative self-cognitions. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) posits that avoidance of distressing internal experiences can lead to psychological inflexibility and the maintenance of distress. Aims: The study conducted a preliminary investigation into the effectiveness and acceptability of a brief ACT-based defusion intervention aimed at increasing psychological flexibility and reducing distress associated with negative self cognitions. This research also explored the extent to which levels of depression experienced by individuals with psychosis are associated with internal shame, psychological flexibility and emotion regulation difficulties. Method: A randomised controlled trial design was used in phase 1 of the study. Individuals were randomised to either a brief defusion intervention (N=8) or a control condition (N=8).An exploratory correlational design was used in phase 2 of the research. Sixteen participants completed questionnaires. Results: Levels of depression in individuals with psychosis were associated with internal shame, psychological inflexibility and difficulties with emotion regulation. A trend approaching significance suggested that the change in levels of distress related to a negative self cognition in the defusion group was greater than the corresponding change for the control group. Conclusions: Individuals randomised to a defusion exercise found the intervention acceptable and it appears to offer promise for reducing distress associated with negative self cognitions.

The ability to experience, use, and eventually control anger is crucial for maintaining well-being, achieving our goals, and building healthy relationships. Despite its relevance, the neural and psychological mechanisms behind this emotion are still in their early stages. Therefore, the present work represents an effort towards the investigation of these features of anger, where the ambition is to take a step forward to bridge the gaps between the research and clinical fields. Chapter 1 will expose an introduction on anger, while Chapter 2 will expose the evidence in literature on the neural bases of anger relying on a meta-analytic approach, where the neural bases of anger perception and anger experience will be investigated. Chapter 3 relies on a multivariate data-driven approach in order to study the neural networks of anger-related individual differences, identifying a structural network associated with trait anger and a functional network associated with anger control. Chapter 4 focuses on the neural bases of other anger-related individual differences, relying on functional connectivity analysis to investigate the frontal asymmetry hypothesis, finding an association of a left pattern of connectivity with anger externalization and a right pattern of connectivity with anger internalization. Finally, the following two chapters focused on the regulation of anger, in particular considering two different strategies, reappraisal versus suppression, and the related effect of a mindfulness course on the regulation of anger. The final chapter will summarize the evidence provided in this thesis in order to integrate the different results.

Psychological momentum (PM) is often regarded as an important phenomenon that influences athlete performance. Nevertheless, conceptualisations of PM are criticised for being speculative, vague and impractical for scientific inquiry. In contrast, self-regulation is a long-standing, well researched concept used to explain performance outcomes, yet not clearly integrated in current PM conceptualisations. Hence, this thesis explores self-regulation relative to PM. Golf was considered to be an appropriate context for the empirical inquiries on the basis that it serves as a metaphor for managing life’s challenges. Three studies were conducted. The first study entailed a systematic conceptual analysis of PM based on previous conceptualisations and studies in relevant scientific literature. Self-regulatory processes were identified among the key psychological mechanisms and moderators related to PM. The second study aimed to identify key self-regulation strategies in PM experiences among 16 golfers. A mixed method approach including novel “walk-along” and “think aloud” data collection techniques was used. An inductive thematic analysis yielded a comprehensive typology golfing strategies. Nevertheless, the study did not find consistent strategy patterns in positive or negative PM phases. The third study explored the self-regulation of identity (ego-regulation) in relation to PM phases. A staggered multiple-baseline single-case research methodology was used with five golfers (three professionals and two amateurs). Ego-regulation was manipulated through a mindfulness-based schema mode program tailored to golf (Mindfulness for Golf; MFG). Pre-, mid- and post-intervention data showed positive changes among the participants on two dimensions of PM as well as performance outcomes. Overall the results suggest that golfers use idiosyncratic self-regulation processes to facilitate performance, but these are not directly linked to PM phases. Nonetheless, there are promising indications that enhancing ego-regulation through the MFG program facilitates positive momentum among golfers. Based on the results of the studies in this thesis, and for the sake of scientific parsimony and pragmatism, it is recommended that self-regulation models incorporating motivation are used to explain momentum in athletic activity. In this view, PM has the function of describing, not influencing, goal-driven performance

"Trait anxiety is a pervasive tendency to attend to and experience fears and worries to a disproportionate degree, across various situations. This study sought to determine if participants who undergo emotional working memory training will have significantly lower scores on the trait anxiety scales post-intervention. The study also sought to determine if emotional regulation mediated the relationship between working memory training and trait anxiety. Trait anxiety was measured using the form Y2 of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y2). Emotion regulation was measured using the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Forty-nine participants underwent 20 days of computerized emotional working memory training called Emotional Dual n-back, which involves viewing a continuous stream of emotional content on a 3x3 grid, and then remembering the location and color of items presented on the grid. The control group consisted of fifty-one participants. Participants of the treatment group had significantly lower trait anxiety compared to controls post-intervention. Mediation analysis determined that working memory training was significantly related to trait anxiety reduction as measured by the STAI-Y2. Emotion regulation was found not to mediate between working memory training and trait anxiety reduction. Results suggest that working memory training may be useful in reducing psychoemotional symptoms of trait anxiety. Moreover, it proposes for future research to further look into the mediating role of emotion regulation via neuroimaging and the development of more comprehensive measures of emotion regulation."

"Appropriate self-regulation in motivation and experiencing flow in learning and other academic activities are important factors for success in study and psychological wellbeing. Previous studies suggested that achievement goals have role in student’s motivation for learning, but there is only partial knowledge regarding the role of achievement goals in motivational regulation and academic flow. The aim of this study was to explore: a) the role of achievement goals in motivational self-regulation and study-related flow; b) the incremental role of mastery self-talk motivational strategy in academic flow over the mastery-approach goal; c) the mediating role of mastery self-talk motivational strategy in the relationship between mastery-approach goal and academic flow. It was expected that both mastery-approach goal and mastery self-talk motivational strategy will have positive and incremental role in academic flow, and that the relationship between mastery-approach goal and academic flow would be mediated through using motivational strategy of mastery self-talk. The participants were 113 university undergraduate students studying mathematics (M= 20 years, 61% females). Self-report questionnaires assessing achievement goals, strategies used for self-regulation of motivation, and study-related flow were applied. Data analysis included regression analyses and mediational analyses. Regression analyses revealed that personal goal achievements explained 43% of variance in mastery self-talk strategy, 32% of variance in performance-approach self-talk strategy, 18% of variance in performance-avoidance self-talk strategy, 11% of variance in environmental control strategy, 7% of variance in self-consequating strategy, and 10% of variance in proximal goal strategy. Personal achievement goals explained 45% of variance in academic flow. Mastery-approach goal was predictive for explaining individual variance in most of positive motivational strategies and academic flow. In line with hypothesis, it was found that mastery self-talk mediated the relationship between mastery-approach goal and flow. The results underscore the importance of adopting mastery-approach goal and using mastery self-talk strategy in order to experience study-related flow."

Background: The problem of social and psychological adaptation of externally displaced Ukrainians is extremely urgent today, as millions of citizens were forced to leave Ukraine as a result of the full-scale invasion. Given the differences in language, culture, religion, and administrative structure of the host countries, the problem of adaptation has become extremely acute for many. Without proper support and resources to help them integrate into their new communities, internally displaced persons may deal with a variety of challenges, including isolation, discrimination, and mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. This can make it difficult for them to rebuild their lives and achieve a sense of security and stability. Purpose: To identify the conditions that influence the successful psychosocial adaptation of externally displaced Ukrainians. Methods: The theoretical method was aimed at studying scientific papers and articles on the topic of social and psychological adaptation. An empirical method was also used, which included the Methodology for Diagnosing Socio-Psychological Adaptation by K. Rogers and R. Diamond and a questionnaire of our own design aimed at studying the difficulties and problems faced by people in the new social environment. Results: In general, most of the respondents have average levels of indicators according to the Rogers and Diamond methodology for diagnosing social and psychological adaptation, but a low level of social adaptation, emotional comfort and striving to dominate was also found in some of the respondents. The analysis of our own questionnaire showed that the process of adaptation of externally displaced Ukrainians is influenced by such factors as language skills, access to medical services, government support, education and employment, and social and cultural environment. Conclusions: The results of the study revealed that although most of the respondents have average adaptation indicators, externally displaced Ukrainians experience a range of problems and need support and additional measures. Keywords: adaptation, social and psychological adaptation, externally displaced Ukrainians, integration, social environment

Review question / Objective: This work aims to assess the effectiveness of immersive virtual nature in promoting psychological health. To this end, the proposed meta-analysis will address the following research question: How effective is immersive virtual nature in improving affect, emotion regulation, stress, mental health, restoration, and well-being among clinical and non-clinical adults as compared to a control condition? Population: Clinical adults, non-clinical adults. Intervention: Immersive virtual nature. Comparison: Control condition. Outcomes: Affect, emotion regulation, stress, mental health (anxiety, depression), restoration, and well-being.

The Calm Spaces Initiative at Sheffield Hallam University was developed in response to increasing demand for accessible, preventative mental health and wellbeing interventions embedded within everyday campus environments. Grounded in a Theory of Change framework, the initiative integrates sensory-friendly, emotionally regulating resources - such as posters and digital media -into high-traffic and reflective university spaces. Co-produced by Student Wellbeing Services, Hallam Students’ Union, and informed by research into student mental health, neurodiversity, and wellbeing promotion, Calm Spaces aims to reduce barriers to support, foster emotional self-regulation, and contribute to a psychologically safe campus culture. This initial evaluation report outlines how the Calm Spaces Initiative is expected to contribute to improved mental wellbeing for students and staff across Sheffield Hallam University. The report also summarises evidence of user engagement and feedback as well as reflections of the project lead about successes and the next steps of the initiative. Early evaluation evidence suggests the initiative has achieved high visibility and positive reception among students and staff, with qualitative feedback highlighting its accessibility, practicality, and particular benefit for neurodivergent individuals. The simplicity and unobtrusiveness of the design were cited as strengths, enabling discreet access to wellbeing prompts without the need for formal help-seeking. Calm Spaces aligns with national strategies promoting a whole-university approach to mental health, and aims to contribute to broader institutional outcomes including improved wellbeing, enhanced academic engagement, and greater retention. While recognising that long-term impacts will depend on the cumulative effects of multiple interventions, Calm Spaces demonstrates how small, thoughtfully designed environmental modifications can play a critical role in building a compassionate, inclusive learning and working environment. Future developments include expansion across additional campus sites, digital enhancements, and a more formalised programme of longitudinal evaluation to measure sustained outcomes.

Based on three major theories in the motivation literature – the self-determination theory, the achievement goal theory, and implicit theories of intelligence – this research project seeks to deconstruct the psychological underpinnings of Normal stream students’ motivation in the Mathematics classroom and provide answers on why (the causes) and how (the underlying mechanisms) students are motivated or unmotivated to pursue academic excellence. Specifically, it investigates the relationship between students’ intrinsic motivations, self- regulation, intelligence beliefs and goals adopted in Mathematics, as well as teachers’ intelligence beliefs and teaching methods, with an aim toward informing a follow-up intervention study.

Review question / Objective: What kind of relationship exists between social competence and self-esteem in students of any age? Condition being studied: Self-esteem is understood as the evaluative dimension of self-concept, having great importance in the interpretation of opinions, behavior, and emotions. The study of the relationship between these two concepts is important because low levels of self-esteem can be a source of significant psychological distress and can diminish the individual's social competence skills. And in turn, the strengthening of self-esteem would increase the likelihood of adequate progress in social competence, which would imply a healthy development of the individual in his or her environment. Other studies reveal the association between perceived social competence, higher levels of emotional regulation, better academic performance, adequate coping strategies, and a healthier self-concept among the child and adolescent population.

The work is devoted to a comprehensive study of medical support, incl. sanatorium-resort treatment of employees of the military prosecutor’s office and members of their families (persons who are dependent on them). It is noted that health care is structurally included in services that, in addition to cash payments and benefits in kind, represent the entire social security system. The main attention in the article is focused on the analysis of the normative legal regulation of the health protection of employees of the military prosecutor’s office, as well as the provision of medical assistance to them (prophylactic medical examination, medical examination, military medical examination, medical and psychological rehabilitation, sanatorium treatment, reimbursement of expenses for drugs and treatment) of proper quality and in the required volume. The key scientific results of the study are the generalization of legal information and scientific knowledge about the procedure for providing medical assistance to employees of the military prosecutor’s office. The main scientific results of the article can be applied to organize training in the discipline «Military law and military legislation». The article will be of interest to persons conducting scientific research on the problems of social protection of servicemen and their families.

The test tasks are compiled in accordance with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard in the direction of "Psychological and pedagogical education" and are designed to control the formation of the following universal general professional and professional competencies: OPK-1 (Able to carry out professional activities in accordance with regulatory legal acts in the field of education and professional ethics) and PC-6 (Capable of ensuring the protection of the life and health of students). Indicators of competence achievement are knowledge of the priority directions of the development of the education system of the Russian Federation, laws and other regulatory legal acts regulating activities in the field of education in the Russian Federation, legislative documents on the rights of the child, the Convention on the Rights of the Child; knowledge of methods and methods of ensuring the safety of students in dangerous situations; ability to apply basic regulatory legal acts in the field of education and professional ethics; the ability to analyze and assess the degree of danger in various situations, the ability to provide conditions for a safe and comfortable educational environment that contributes to the preservation of life and health of students.

Executive Summary This report describes a series of experiments carried out by PRICE Lab, a research programme at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) jointly funded by the Central Bank of Ireland, the Commission for Energy Regulation, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Commission for Communications Regulation. The experiments were conducted with samples of Irish consumers aged 18-70 years and were designed to answer the following general research question: At what point do products become too complex for consumers to choose accurately between the good ones and the bad ones? BACKGROUND AND METHODS PRICE Lab represents a departure from traditional methods employed for economic research in Ireland. It belongs to the rapidly expanding area of ‘behavioural economics’, which is the application of psychological insights to economic analysis. In recent years, behavioural economics has developed novel methods and generated many new findings, especially in relation to the choices made by consumers. These scientific advances have implications both for economics and for policy. They suggest that consumers often do not make decisions in the way that economists have traditionally assumed. The findings show that consumers have limited capacity for attending to and processing information and that they are prone to systematic biases, all of which may lead to disadvantageous choices. In short, consumers may make costly mistakes. Research has indeed documented that in several key consumer markets, including financial services, utilities and telecommunications, many consumers struggle to choose the best products for themselves. It is often argued that these markets involve ‘complex’ products. The obvious question that arises is whether consumer policy can be used to help them to make better choices when faced with complex products. Policies are more likely to be successful where they are informed by an accurate understanding of how real consumers make decisions between products. To provide evidence for consumer policy, PRICE Lab has developed a method for measuring the accuracy with which consumers make choices, using techniques adapted from the scientific study of human perception. The method allows researchers to measure how reliably consumers can distinguish a good deal from a bad one. A good deal is defined here as one where the product is more valuable than the price paid. In other words, it offers good value for money or, in the jargon of economics, offers the consumer a ‘surplus’. Conversely, a bad deal offers poor value for money, providing no (or a negative) surplus. PRICE Lab’s main experimental method, which we call the ‘Surplus Identification’ (S-ID) task, allows researchers to measure how accurately consumers can spot a surplus and whether they are prone to systematic biases. Most importantly, the S-ID task can be used to study how the accuracy of consumers’ decisions changes as the type of product changes. For the experiments we report here, samples of consumers arrived at the ESRI one at a time and spent approximately one hour doing the S-ID task with different kinds of products, which were displayed on a computer screen. They had to learn to judge the value of one or more products against prices and were then tested for accuracy. As well as people’s intrinsic motivation to do well when their performance on a task like this is tested, we provided an incentive: one in every ten consumers who attended PRICE Lab won a prize, based on their performance. Across a series of these experiments, we were able to test how the accuracy of consumers’ decisions was affected by the number and nature of the product’s characteristics, or ‘attributes’, which they had to take into account in order to distinguish good deals from bad ones. In other words, we were able to study what exactly makes for a ‘complex’ product, in the sense that consumers find it difficult to choose good deals. FINDINGS Overall, across all ten experiments described in this report, we found that consumers’ judgements of the value of products against prices were surprisingly inaccurate. Even when the product was simple, meaning that it consisted of just one clearly perceptible attribute (e.g. the product was worth more when it was larger), consumers required a surplus of around 16-26 per cent of the total price range in order to be able to judge accurately that a deal was a good one rather than a bad one. Put another way, when most people have to map a characteristic of a product onto a range of prices, they are able to distinguish at best between five and seven levels of value (e.g. five levels might be thought of as equivalent to ‘very bad’, ‘bad’, ‘average’, ‘good’, ‘very good’). Furthermore, we found that judgements of products against prices were not only imprecise, but systematically biased. Consumers generally overestimated what products at the top end of the range were worth and underestimated what products at the bottom end of the range were worth, typically by as much as 10-15 per cent and sometimes more. We then systematically increased the complexity of the products, first by adding more attributes, so that the consumers had to take into account, two, three, then four different characteristics of the product simultaneously. One product might be good on attribute A, not so good on attribute B and available at just above the xii | PRICE Lab: An Investigation of Consumers’ Capabilities with Complex Products average price; another might be very good on A, middling on B, but relatively expensive. Each time the consumer’s task was to judge whether the deal was good or bad. We would then add complexity by introducing attribute C, then attribute D, and so on. Thus, consumers had to negotiate multiple trade-offs. Performance deteriorated quite rapidly once multiple attributes were in play. Even the best performers could not integrate all of the product information efficiently – they became substantially more likely to make mistakes. Once people had to consider four product characteristics simultaneously, all of which contributed equally to the monetary value of the product, a surplus of more than half the price range was required for them to identify a good deal reliably. This was a fundamental finding of the present experiments: once consumers had to take into account more than two or three different factors simultaneously their ability to distinguish good and bad deals became strikingly imprecise. This finding therefore offered a clear answer to our primary research question: a product might be considered ‘complex’ once consumers must take into account more than two or three factors simultaneously in order to judge whether a deal is good or bad. Most of the experiments conducted after we obtained these strong initial findings were designed to test whether consumers could improve on this level of performance, perhaps for certain types of products or with sufficient practice, or whether the performance limits uncovered were likely to apply across many different types of product. An examination of individual differences revealed that some people were significantly better than others at judging good deals from bad ones. However the differences were not large in comparison to the overall effects recorded; everyone tested struggled once there were more than two or three product attributes to contend with. People with high levels of numeracy and educational attainment performed slightly better than those without, but the improvement was small. We also found that both the high level of imprecision and systematic bias were not reduced substantially by giving people substantial practice and opportunities to learn – any improvements were slow and incremental. A series of experiments was also designed to test whether consumers’ capability was different depending on the type of product attribute. In our initial experiments the characteristics of the products were all visual (e.g., size, fineness of texture, etc.). We then performed similar experiments where the relevant product information was supplied as numbers (e.g., percentages, amounts) or in categories (e.g., Type A, Rating D, Brand X), to see whether performance might improve. This question is important, as most financial and contractual information is supplied to consumers in a numeric or categorical form. The results showed clearly that the type of product information did not matter for the level of imprecision and bias in consumers’ decisions – the results were essentially the same whether the product attributes were visual, numeric or categorical. What continued to drive performance was how many characteristics the consumer had to judge simultaneously. Thus, our findings were not the result of people failing to perceive or take in information accurately. Rather, the limiting factor in consumers’ capability was how many different factors they had to weigh against each other at the same time. In most of our experiments the characteristics of the product and its monetary value were related by a one-to-one mapping; each extra unit of an attribute added the same amount of monetary value. In other words, the relationships were all linear. Because other findings in behavioural economics suggest that consumers might struggle more with non-linear relationships, we designed experiments to test them. For example, the monetary value of a product might increase more when the amount of one attribute moves from very low to low, than when it moves from high to very high. We found that this made no difference to either the imprecision or bias in consumers’ decisions provided that the relationship was monotonic (i.e. the direction of the relationship was consistent, so that more or less of the attribute always meant more or less monetary value respectively). When the relationship involved a turning point (i.e. more of the attribute meant higher monetary value but only up to a certain point, after which more of the attribute meant less value) consumers’ judgements were more imprecise still. Finally, we tested whether familiarity with the type of product improved performance. In most of the experiments we intentionally used products that were new to the experimental participants. This was done to ensure experimental control and so that we could monitor learning. In the final experiment reported here, we used two familiar products (Dublin houses and residential broadband packages) and tested whether consumers could distinguish good deals from bad deals any better among these familiar products than they could among products that they had never seen before, but which had the same number and type of attributes and price range. We found that consumers’ performance was the same for these familiar products as for unfamiliar ones. Again, what primarily determined the amount of imprecision and bias in consumers’ judgments was the number of attributes that they had to balance against each other, regardless of whether these were familiar or novel. POLICY IMPLICATIONS There is a menu of consumer polices designed to assist consumers in negotiating complex products. A review, including international examples, is given in the main body of the report. The primary aim is often to simplify the consumer’s task. Potential policies, versions of which already exist in various forms and which cover a spectrum of interventionist strength, might include: the provision and endorsement of independent, transparent price comparison websites and other choice engines (e.g. mobile applications, decision software); the provision of high quality independent consumer advice; ‘mandated simplification’, whereby regulations stipulate that providers must present product information in a simplified and standardised format specifically determined by regulation; and more strident interventions such as devising and enforcing prescriptive rules and regulations in relation to permissible product descriptions, product features or price structures. The present findings have implications for such policies. However, while the experimental findings have implications for policy, it needs to be borne in mind that the evidence supplied here is only one factor in determining whether any given intervention in markets is likely to be beneficial. The findings imply that consumers are likely to struggle to choose well in markets with products consisting of multiple important attributes that must all be factored in when making a choice. Interventions that reduce this kind of complexity for consumers may therefore be beneficial, but nothing in the present research addresses the potential costs of such interventions, or how providers are likely to respond to them. The findings are also general in nature and are intended to give insights into consumer choices across markets. There are likely to be additional factors specific to certain markets that need to be considered in any analysis of the costs and benefits of a potential policy change. Most importantly, the policy implications discussed here are not specific to Ireland or to any particular product market. Furthermore, they should not be read as criticisms of existing regulatory regimes, which already go to some lengths in assisting consumers to deal with complex products. Ireland currently has extensive regulations designed to protect consumers, both in general and in specific markets, descriptions of which can be found in Section 9.1 of the main report. Nevertheless, the experiments described here do offer relevant guidance for future policy designs. For instance, they imply that while policies that make it easier for consumers to switch providers may be necessary to encourage active consumers, they may not be sufficient, especially in markets where products are complex. In order for consumers to benefit, policies that help them to identify better deals reliably may also be required, given the scale of inaccuracy in consumers’ decisions that we record in this report when products have multiple important attributes. Where policies are designed to assist consumer decisions, the present findings imply quite severe limits in relation to the volume of information consumers can simultaneously take into account. Good impartial Executive Summary | xv consumer advice may limit the volume of information and focus on ensuring that the most important product attributes are recognised by consumers. The findings also have implications for the role of competition. While consumers may obtain substantial potential benefits from competition, their capabilities when faced with more complex products are likely to reduce such benefits. Pressure from competition requires sufficient numbers of consumers to spot and exploit better value offerings. Given our results, providers with larger market shares may face incentives to increase the complexity of products in an effort to dampen competitive pressure and generate more market power. Where marketing or pricing practices result in prices or attributes with multiple components, our findings imply that consumer choices are likely to become less accurate. Policymakers must of course be careful in determining whether such practices amount to legitimate innovations with potential consumer benefit. Yet there is a genuine danger that spurious complexity can be generated that confuses consumers and protects market power. The results described here provide backing for the promotion and/or provision by policymakers of high-quality independent choice engines, including but not limited to price comparison sites, especially in circumstances where the number of relevant product attributes is high. A longer discussion of the potential benefits and caveats associated with such policies is contained in the main body of the report. Mandated simplification policies are gaining in popularity internationally. Examples include limiting the number of tariffs a single energy company can offer or standardising health insurance products, both of which are designed to simplify the comparisons between prices and/or product attributes. The present research has some implications for what might make a good mandate. Consumer decisions are likely to be improved where a mandate brings to the consumer’s attention the most important product attributes at the point of decision. The present results offer guidance with respect to how many key attributes consumers are able simultaneously to trade off, with implications for the design of standardised disclosures. While bearing in mind the potential for imposing costs, the results also suggest benefits to compulsory ‘meta-attributes’ (such as APRs, energy ratings, total costs, etc.), which may help consumers to integrate otherwise separate sources of information. FUTURE RESEARCH The experiments described here were designed to produce findings that generalise across multiple product markets. However, in addition to the results outlined in this report, the work has resulted in new experimental methods that can be applied to more specific consumer policy issues. This is possible because the methods generate experimental measures of the accuracy of consumers’ decision-making. As such, they can be adapted to assess the quality of consumers’ decisions in relation to specific products, pricing and marketing practices. Work is underway in PRICE Lab that applies these methods to issues in specific markets, including those for personal loans, energy and mobile phones.

Purpose: This project is focused on the social determinants of health associated with problem gambling and examined gambling-related disparities and the determinants of negative health outcomes. Social determinants include social class education, ethnic group, age, and sex (Elton-Marshall, et al., 2017). The main aims of the study were as follows: Aim 1: In this study, we used the large data set to determine subpopulations who are experiencing social inequity (e.g., youth, older adults, women, Black people and other minority ethnic groups, and people with low income; see Elton-Marshall, et al., 2017) to determine how much they are impacted by gambling. Aim 2: We tested the data as an interaction model to see if there are disparities in the impact of gambling by sociodemographic variables. The analysis included tests of the factorial structure of the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) across subpopulations (e.g., young vs. old, low-income vs. higher income, and Scotland vs England). Aim 3: In addition, we conducted interviews with a small number of key stakeholders who were treatment providers or administrators of problem gambling services to discuss the research findings and to help us understand the data and develop a dissemination plan. Methodology: This project consisted of a secondary analysis of the “Gambling in England and Scotland, 2016: Combined Data from the Health Survey for England and the Scottish Health Survey.” We concatenated the data from 2012, 2014, and 2016. This study is a secondary analysis of a large data set. The project incorporated a series of statistical analysis including logistic regression, multinominal regression, cluster analysis and confirmatory factor analysis and to explore the relationship between gambling and social and demographic variables. Results: Based on our analysis combining the DSM and PGSI, about half a percent of the adults in England and Scotland met the threshold for a severe gambling problem. In terms of gambling behaviors, the most common games were national lottery tickets, scratch cards, and other lotteries. As expected, social and demographic variables were both significantly associated with problem gambling. Significant social and demographic risk factors for problem gambling include sex (male), age (being younger, 25 to 34), marital status (being single or never married), social class (manual and routine labour), ethnic /racial group (Black or other), and education (lower levels of education). In addition, being a heavy drinker, a current smoker and having a lower level of Wellbeing were also related to problem gambling. Although the results suggest that people in Scotland gamble somewhat more often especially on lotteries, Country (England vs. Scotland) was not associated with gambling problems. In terms of games played, according to the logistic regression, the largest association was for electronic gambling machines (EGMs), followed by Sports gambling and then online gambling. The interaction of games with sex is interesting suggesting that the male vs. female differences is smaller for EGMs and online gambling, but larger for sports gambling. As Part of Aim 2, we tested the psychometric properties of the PGSI gambling inventory and found that the PGSI was a valid construct for measuring problem gambling in the United Kingdom (UK). Moreover, we found that the PGSI scale operated similarly for respondents from both England and Scotland, suggesting generalisability across the UK. In terms of Aim 3, the key stakeholder interviews, most of the stakeholders felt that the reported frequencies were lower than they expected and questioned the accuracy of the prevalence estimates. Several stakeholders noted that some ethnic communities (Chinese, Muslims) were not adequately represented in the survey, and speculated that this was due to under reporting. Several stakeholders also suggested that the prevalence of gambling problems among women who gamble may be higher than males who gamble, however analysis did not support this view. In terms of directions for future research, the stakeholders suggested the need to better understand the impact of trauma on gambling, the potential side effects of medication(s), and a more comprehensive examination of environmental factors during childhood that increase the risk of problem gambling during adulthood. Overall, the stakeholders felt that the results provide useful information but note that more research is needed to better understand gambling problems. Finally, several stakeholders believed that both government and industry should do more to help reduce problem gambling; however, one stakeholder cautioned that over regulation could backfire and push gamblers to non-regulated gambling sites. Conclusions: The results of this research provide a detailed examination of the association between problem gambling and the social determinants of health in the UK. In summary, the key findings are that social and demographic risk factors for problem gambling include sex (male), age (being younger, 25 to 34), marital status (being single or never married), social class (manual and routine labour), ethnic /racial group (Black or other), education (lower levels of education), are significant factors in determining problem gambling. In addition, being a heavy drinker, a current smoker and having a lower level of Wellbeing, more psychological distress, and a greater rate of mental health problems, were also related to problem gambling. This knowledge will help to inform public health strategies in the UK related to the prevention and treatment of gambling disorders, as well as the prevention of gambling-related harm at the population level and for different groups (e.g., age groups, income groups, ethnic groups). Implications: 1. Problem gamblers are more likely to have lower levels of education, were less likely to be in managerial work, and in terms of ethnic group were Black or other. 2. Problem gamblers are physically healthy, but have an elevated risk of mental health problems, have a poorer sense of well-being and are more likely to smoke or engage in heavy drinking. 3. The results found that country (England vs. Scotland) was not associated with differences in gambling problems, however, people in Scotland gamble somewhat more often especially on Lotteries. 4. In terms of Aim 2, the results suggest that the PGSI is a valid measure of gambling in the Great Britain and that it is equally valid for both England and Scotland. 5. Non-problem gamblers appear to be a relatively healthy population and had the best scores in terms of mental health and well-being, though the contrasts with non-gamblers were trivial. 6. Non-problem gamblers had a somewhat greater rate of smoking, heavy drinking and obesity compared to non-gamblers suggesting they may have more health problems eventually. Effort should be made to encourage more physical activity amongst recreational gamblers.