Numeracy Gender Gap in STEM Higher Education: The Role of Neuroticism and Math Anxiety.

The under-representation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is ubiquitous and understanding the roots of this phenomenon is mandatory to guarantee social equality and economic growth. In the present study, we investigated the contribution of non-cognitive factors that usually show higher levels in females, such as math anxiety (MA) and neuroticism personality trait, to numeracy competence, a core component in STEM studies. A sample of STEM undergraduate students, balanced for gender (N F = N M = 70) and Intelligent Quotient (IQ), completed online self-report questionnaires and a numeracy cognitive assessment test. Results show that females scored lower in the numeracy test, and higher in the non-cognitive measures. Moreover, compared to males', females' numeracy scores were more strongly influenced by MA and neuroticism. We also tested whether MA association to numeracy is mediated by neuroticism, and whether this mediation is characterized by gender differences. While we failed to detect a significant mediation of neuroticism in the association between MA and numeracy overall, when gender was added as a moderator in this association, neuroticism turned out to be significant for females only. Our findings revealed that non-cognitive factors differently supported numeracy in females and males in STEM programs.

Psychological capital and climate change adaptation: Empirical evidence from smallholder farmers in South Africa.

There are calls for better empirical models to inform climate change adaptation in smallholder agriculture. Hitherto adaptation studies have failed to comprehensively integrate non-cognitive behavioural factors (e.g. psychological capital), and there is also no common framework for measuring non-cognitive abilities of smallholder farmers. Hence, this study is the first attempt to assess how psychological capital affects climate change adaptation amongst smallholder farmers. The study estimated the multivariate probit regression model using data collected from 328 smallholder farmers in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. The results show an association between some psychological capital indicators and smallholder adaptation decisions. Social networks, having multiple farming objectives, access to credit and the type of farmer (irrigators vs. non-irrigators) were also significant in determining smallholders' adaptation decisions. In conclusion, the study recommends the need for practical ways for enhancing smallholders' endowment with key non-cognitive abilities. There is also a need for researchers to develop a comprehensive framework for assessing non-cognitive factors critical for climate change adaptation. This will improve the use of positive psychology theories to advance the literature on climate change adaptation. Support should also be provided to communities facing higher risks of climate change adaptation. More focus should also be given to improve smallholder farmers' ability to adapt, including access to affordable credit. The role of social networks in information sharing remains critical, and hence their promotion should be prioritised. The findings on multiple objectives in farming were unique to climate change adaptation research, and hence the indicator should be considered in future similar studies.

Validity of Cognitive Tests for Non-human Animals: Pitfalls and Prospects.

Comparative psychology assesses cognitive abilities and capacities of non-human animals and humans. Based on performance differences and similarities in various species in cognitive tests, it is inferred how their minds work and reconstructed how cognition might have evolved. Critically, such species comparisons are only valid and meaningful if the tasks truly capture individual and inter-specific variation in cognitive abilities rather than contextual variables that might affect task performance. Unlike in human test psychology, however, cognitive tasks for non-human primates (and most other animals) have been rarely evaluated regarding their measurement validity. We review recent studies that address how non-cognitive factors affect performance in a set of commonly used cognitive tasks, and if cognitive tests truly measure individual variation in cognitive abilities. We find that individual differences in emotional and motivational factors primarily affect performance via attention. Hence, it is crucial to systematically control for attention during cognitive tasks to obtain valid and reliable results. Aspects of test design, however, can also have a substantial effect on cognitive performance. We conclude that non-cognitive factors are a minor source of measurement error if acknowledged and properly controlled for. It is essential, however, to validate and eventually re-design several primate cognition tasks in order to ascertain that they capture the cognitive abilities they were designed to measure. This will provide a more solid base for future cognitive comparisons within primates but also across a wider range of non-human animal species.

Interactions between Personality, Depression, Anxiety and Cognition to Understand Early Stage of Alzheimer's Disease.

The multifaceted nature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can lead to wide inter-individual differences in disease manifestation in terms of brain pathology and cognition. The lack of understanding of phenotypic diversity in AD arises from a difficulty in understanding the integration of different levels of network organization (i.e. genes, neurons, synapses, anatomical regions, functions) and in inclusion of other information such as neuropsychiatric characteristics, personal history, information regarding general health or subjective cognitive complaints in a coherent model. Non-cognitive factors, such as personality traits and behavioral and psychiatric symptoms, can be informative markers of early disease stage. It is known that personality can affect cognition and behavioral symptoms. The aim of the paper is to review the different types of interactions existing between personality, depression/anxiety, and cognition and cognitive disorders at behavioral and brain/genetic levels.

Personality oriented job analysis to identify non-cognitive factors for a doctor of physical therapy program in the United States.

It aimed to conduct a personality oriented job analysis to identify non-cognitive factors that may predict successful performance or performance difficulties in doctorate in physical therapy (DPT) students. The study employed focus groups and a survey with 9 DPT subject matter experts. Focus group participants including 3 DPT faculty members and 4 recent graduates of the DPT program identified 22 non-cognitive factors. Out of them, 15 factors were possibly associated with successful performance and 7 factors were possibly associated with performance difficulties. The questionnaire employing the Combination Job Analysis Method resulted in 12 factors which could be used in selection, and 10 which could be incorporated into training. The present study employed an established job analysis method using subject matter experts to identify a broad array of factors that go beyond what previous studies have examined, and which may predict success or difficulties in a DPT program.

Tenacidad en estudiantes universitarios chilenos: Un estudio inicial de su estructura y red nomológica / Grit in Chilean university students: An initial study of its structure and nomological network

En los últimos años ha surgido un creciente interés por indagar el rol de las habilidades no cognitivas, como la tenacidad, en el desempeño académico. Si bien la investigación sobre tenacidad no ha generado aún conclusiones definitivas, debe considerarse que ella no ha incluido a poblaciones latinoamericanas. Ante este panorama, este estudio inicial se propuso examinar en estudiantes universitarios chilenos de pedagogía en matemáticas: (1) la estructura interna de la tenacidad y (2) su posición en una red nomológica integrada por desempeño académico, sexo, edad y años en el programa educativo. Un total de 153 estudiantes de la Universidad de La Frontera, una institución estatal chilena, respondió la Escala Corta de Tenacidad y un cuestionario sociodemográfico. Análisis factoriales exploratorios revelaron que la tenacidad adquiere una configuración unidimensional que posee una adecuada consistencia interna. Además, adoptando una relación no lineal semejante a una curva hiperbólica, niveles altos de tenacidad se vincularon con desempeño académico alto, en tanto que niveles bajos o moderados se vincularon con desempeño bajo. Finalmente, la tenacidad apareció asociada con sexo (las mujeres mostraron más tenacidad que los hombres) y, en una relación directa, con los años en el programa. Tenacidad no correlacionó significativamente con edad. Este conjunto de hallazgos, que discrepan mayormente de aquellos reportados en la literatura, son discutidos principalmente en términos del dominio disciplinar previo de los participantes y/o de la dificultad del programa educativo. Se proponen explicaciones para estos hallazgos a fin de que sean evaluadas en estudios futuros, empleando un enfoque confirmatorio.

Traditionally, academic performance has been linked to intelligence and some other student´s cognitive abilities. However, in recent 4 years we have witnessed a growing interest in expanding this view by investigating the role that other non-cognitive skills, such as tenacity, may play in academic achievement. Grit can conceptually be conceived as perseverance and passion aimed at achieving long-term goals. A review of the literature shows that grit does not appear to be configured, as some authors claim, as a hierarchical structure with a general second-order construct and two first-order facets (perseverance of effort and consistency of interest). The literature also points out that grit is only a modest predictor of academic performance and that it presents a slightly positive correlation with age and a very weak one with sex and the students' number of years in an academic program. While research on grit has not yet generated any definitive conclusions, it must be considered that it has not included Latin American populations. Given this scenario, this initial study aimed to examine in mathematics teacher Chilean students (1) the internal structure of grit and (2) their position in a nomological network integrated by academic achievement, sex, age and years enrolled in the program. Participants consisted in the total population (n = 153) of students enrolled in a mathematics teacher program at Universidad de La Frontera, a public institution located in the Central-South area from Chile. The program was selected because it presents a high level of difficulty to its students and because it includes highly formalized tasks, as part of its disciplinary courses. Participants responded the Short Grit Scale (Grit-S) and a demographic questionnaire. In this study, Grit-Swas previously translated and adapted into Spanish from the original English version. Grit-Scontains eight items intended to measure the two facets of grit. Exploratory factorial analysis revealed that, after excluding two items due to low factor loadings (items No. 1 and 2), grit presented a one-dimensional configuration, with an adequate internal consistency (ordinal Alpha: .80). A positive linear correlation, although marginally significant, was obtained between grit and academic achievement, r(143)= .12, p =.069, d = .24. However, a planned contrast revealed that a nonlinear relationship, similar to a hyperbolic curve, better explains the link between these two variables. Specifically, this analysis showed that students in the upper grit quintile obtained a significantly higher grade point average than the combined grade point average of the remaining grit quintiles, t(138) =1.87, p = .032, d = .32. This result suggests that academic achievement remains reduced when grit level is low or moderate and only increases when grit level is high. A multiple regression analysis indicated that sex, age and number of years in the program account for 12.6% of grit variance, F(3, 149) = 7.15, p < .001, d = .76. Sex significantly contributed to the prediction (β =.198, p = .011, d = .38) with women, (M = 3.77,dt = .61) reporting higher levels of grit than men (M = 3.53, dt = .69). Whereas age did not significantly contribute to the prediction (β =.102, p = .206), the number of years in the program showed a significant direct association with grit (β = .261, p = .001, d = .60. Due to the originality of these findings, most differing from those reported in the literature, this study offers tentative explanations that future research could use to formulate and empirically test new hypotheses using, hopefully, a confirmatory approach. These possible explanations mainly refer to the participants' previous level of mathematic mastery and/or the level of difficulty demanded by the educational program.

Grit in adolescence is protective of late-life cognition: non-cognitive factors and cognitive reserve.

Various psychological assets have been shown to protect against late-life cognitive impairment by promoting cognitive reserve. While factors such as educational attainment and IQ are well-established contributors to cognitive reserve, noncognitive factors, such as grit, have not been studied in this regard. We examined the contribution of adolescent grit, indexed by high school class rank controlling for IQ, to late-life cognition and its decline among approximately 4000 participants in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, a random sample of high school graduates followed from 1957 to 2011. Adolescent grit significantly predicted both immediate and delayed memory at ages 64 and 71, over and above the contribution of IQ. While the relative contributions of IQ and grit to immediate memory were comparable, grit was a stronger predictor of delayed memory. Cognitive reserve has noncognitive, as well as cognitive, components.

Who succeeds at dental school? Factors predicting students' academic performance in a dental school in republic of Korea.

The purpose of this study was to examine what cognitive and non-cognitive factors were responsible for predicting the academic performance of dental students in a dental school in the Republic of Korea. This school is one of those in Korea that now require applicants to have a bachelor's degree. In terms of cognitive factors, students' undergraduate grade point average (GPA) and Dental Education Eligibility Test (DEET) scores were used, while surveys were conducted to evaluate four non-cognitive measures: locus of control, self-esteem, self-directed learning, and interpersonal skills. A total of 353 students matriculating at Seoul National University School of Dentistry in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 consented to the collection of records and completed the surveys. The main finding was that applicants who scored higher on internal locus of control and self-efficacy were more likely to be academically successful dental students. Self-directed learning was significantly associated with students ranked in the top 50 percent in cumulative GPA. However, students' interpersonal skills were negatively related to their academic performance. In particular, students' lack of achievement could be predicted by monitoring their first-year GPA. Therefore, the identification of those factors to predict dental school performance has implications for the dental curriculum and effective pedagogy in dental education.