Motivation to learn: an international multilevel study on student autonomy and teacher emphasis on content usefulness / Motivación para aprender: un estudio internacional multinivel sobre la autonomía de los estudiantes y el énfasis de los docentes en la utilidad del contenido

En la educación superior, pocos estudios relacionan factores contextuales en la clase, como el énfasis del profesor en la utilidad del contenido y las características motivacionales de los estudiantes. El objetivo fue probar un modelo multinivel sobre la relación entre el énfasis del docente en la utilidad del contenido durante la clase, la autonomía de los estudiantes y, a su vez, la motivación para aprender. Participaron 3033 estudiantes universitarios matriculados de 1º a 4º grado de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte, de universidades de España (N = 602), Portugal (N = 469), México (N = 1177), Chile (N = 372), y Brasil (N = 413). Se realizó un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales multinivel, en el que los participantes respondieron preguntas sobre el énfasis del profesor en la utilidad del contenido de la clase, la autonomía y la motivación para aprender. Se hipotetizó que el énfasis del profesor en la utilidad del contenido predecía la autonomía del estudiante que, por su vez, predecía la motivación para aprender. Los resultados, a nivel grupal e individual, indican que el énfasis del docente en la utilidad del contenido predijo la autonomía del estudiante, y la autonomía predijo la motivación para aprender.(AU)

Teacher autonomy support is related to improved student learn-ing. In higher education, few studies relate classroom contextual factors, such as teacher emphasis on content usefulness, and students' motivational characteristics. The aim was to test a multilevel model about the relation between the extent of teachers’ emphasis on the usefulness of class con-tent with student autonomy, and, in turn, on motivation to learn. The par-ticipants were 3033 university students enrolled from 1st to 4th grade of Sciences of the Physical Activity and Sport, from universities in Spain (N = 602), Portugal (N = 469), Mexico (N = 1177), Chile (N = 372), and Brazil (N = 413). A multilevel structural equation model was performed, in which participants answered questions about the teacher's emphasis on the use-fulness of class content, basic psychological need for autonomy, and moti-vation to learn. At the group and individual levels, the hypothesis is that the teacher's emphasis on the usefulness of class content predict the stu-dent autonomy, in turn, student autonomy predicts student motivation to learn. Results found at the group level and at the individual level the strength of teacher emphasis on class content predicted student autonomy; student autonomy predicted student motivation to learn.(AU)

A Novel mHealth App for Smokers Living With HIV Who Are Ambivalent About Quitting Smoking: Formative Research and Randomized Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND: More people who smoke and are living with HIV now die from tobacco-related diseases than HIV itself. Most people are ambivalent about quitting smoking and want to quit someday but not yet. Scalable, effective interventions are needed to motivate and support smoking cessation among people ambivalent about quitting smoking (PAQS) who are living with HIV. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to develop an app-based intervention for PAQS who are living with HIV and assess its feasibility, acceptability, and potential impact. Results of this study will inform plans for future research and development. METHODS: In phase 1, PAQS living with HIV (n=8) participated in user-centered design interviews to inform the final intervention app design and recruitment plan for a subsequent randomized pilot study. In phase 2, PAQS living with HIV were randomized to either a standard care control app or a similar experimental app with additional content tailored for PAQS and those with HIV. Participants were followed for 3 months. Feasibility focused on recruitment, retention, and participants' willingness to install the app. The study was not powered for statistical significance. Indices of acceptability (satisfaction and use) and impact (smoking behavior change and treatment uptake) were assessed via automated data and self-report among those who installed and used the app (n=19). RESULTS: Recruitment for both study phases was a challenge, particularly via web-based and social media platforms. Enrollment success was greater among people living with HIV recruited from a health care provider and research registry. Once enrolled, retention for the phase 2 randomized study was good; 74% (14/19) of the participants completed the 3-month follow-up. Phase 1 findings suggested that PAQS living with HIV were receptive to using an app-based intervention to help them decide whether, when, and how to stop smoking, despite not being ready to quit smoking. Phase 2 findings further supported this conclusion based on feedback from people who agreed to use an app, but group differences were observed. Indices of acceptability favored the experimental arm, including a descriptively higher mean number of sessions and utilization badges. Similarly, indices of potential impact were descriptively higher in the experimental arm (proportion reducing smoking, making a quit attempt, or calling free tobacco quitline). No participants in either arm quit smoking at the 3-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of this formative work, PAQS living with HIV may be receptive to using a mobile health-based app intervention to help them decide whether, when, or how to stop using tobacco. Indices of acceptability and impact indicate that additional research and development are warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05339659; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05339659.

Connections between academic motivation and benefits to low-grade inflammatory regulation among the socioeconomically advantaged.

INTRODUCTION: Working to reach school goals during adolescence and rise in the socioeconomic hierarchy can have unexpected negative consequences for physical health, which are often linked to inflammation. However, certain forms of academic motivation, like finding meaning in difficulty, can benefit health and well-being. The current study tests whether socioeconomic resources explain this paradox and moderate the relationship between motivational processes and indicators of inflammation among adolescents. Having greater socioeconomic resources may provide the circumstances necessary to experience a beneficial connection between higher school motivation and lower indicators of inflammation. METHOD: Seventy-nine adolescents in the United States from diverse backgrounds completed a survey and health screening (59.6% girls, Mage = 14). The survey included a key measure of motivation indicating how students respond to experiences of academic difficulty. The health screening produced assays of C-reactive protein and interleukin 6 from antecubital blood samples, which provided an indicator of low-grade inflammation. RESULTS: Multiple linear regression analyses demonstrated the expected pattern of moderation, such that students with high (but not low) socioeconomic resources experienced a positive connection between motivation and indicators of inflammatory regulation, especially C-reactive protein. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide an important contribution to understanding the complex links between achievement and health. Future research on the health costs of mobility should consider the health benefits of motivation that may be observed uniquely among the socioeconomically advantaged. Further, education institutions should promote motivation in ways that are connected to health sustaining forms of support for all students.

Sex differences in the social motivation of rats: Insights from social operant conditioning, behavioural economics, and video tracking.

BACKGROUND: Social behaviour plays a key role in mental health and wellbeing, and developing greater understanding of mechanisms underlying social interaction-particularly social motivation-holds substantial transdiagnostic impact. Common rodent behavioural assays used to assess social behaviour are limited in their assessment of social motivation, whereas the social operant conditioning model can provide unique and valuable insights into social motivation. Further characterisation of common experimental parameters that may influence social motivation within the social operant model, as well as complementary methodological and analytical approaches, are warranted. METHODS: This study investigated the effects of biological sex, housing condition, and time-of-day, on social motivation using the social operant model. This involved training rats to lever press (FR1) for 60-s access to a social reward (same-sex conspecific stimulus). Subjects were male and female Wistar rats, housed under individual or paired conditions, and sessions were conducted either in the mid-late light phase (ZT6-10) or early-mid dark phase (ZT13-17). A behavioural economics approach was implemented to measure social demand and the influence of stimulus partner sex (same- vs. opposite-sex stimulus) on social operant responding. Additionally, video tracking analyses were conducted to assess the degree of convergence between social appetitive and consummatory behaviours. RESULTS: Biological sex, housing conditions, the interaction between sex and housing, and stimulus partner sex potently influenced social motivation, whereas time-of-day did not. Behavioural economics demonstrated that sex, housing, and their interaction influence both the hedonic set-point and elasticity of social demand. Video analysis of social interaction during social operant sessions revealed that social appetitive and consummatory behaviours are not necessarily convergent, and indicate potential social satiety. Lastly, oestrus phase of female experimental and stimulus rats did not impact social motivation within the model. CONCLUSIONS: Social isolation-dependent sex differences exist in social motivation for rats, as assessed by social operant conditioning. The social operant model represents an optimal preclinical assay that comprehensively evaluates social motivation and offers a platform for future investigations of neurobiological mechanisms underlying sex differences in social motivation. These findings highlight the importance of continued consideration and inclusion of sex as a biological variable in future social operant conditioning studies. Humans are social creatures-our everyday interactions with others and the support this provides play a key role in our wellbeing. For those experiencing mental health conditions, people's motivation to engage with others can wane, which can lead them to withdraw from those who support them. Therefore, to develop better treatment strategies for these conditions, we need to gain a deeper understanding of social motivation. Studying social behaviour in animals can facilitate this investigation of social motivation as it allows for a causal understanding of underlying neurobiology that is not possible in human experiments. An optimal way to study social motivation in animals is using the social operant conditioning model, where rats learn to press a lever that opens a door and allows them to interact with another rat for a short time. This study characterised the social operant model by testing whether sex, housing conditions, time-of-day, and the sex of the stimulus partner influence rats' motivation to seek interaction with another rat. We found that female rats were more socially motivated than males, and that rats living alone were more motivated than those living with another rat; interestingly, this effect of housing affected females more than males. Regardless of sex, rats were more motivated to interact with a rat of the opposite sex. These findings provide insights into sex differences in social motivation in rats and new insights into the social operant model which will help guide future research into social motivation and other mental health conditions.

Quality improvement work in general practice; a Norwegian focus group study.

BACKGROUND: Quality improvement work is an essential feature of healthcare services, including general practice. In this study, we aimed to gain more knowledge regarding general practitioners' (GPs) motivation for such work in their practices, as well as what kind of measures were considered motivating and feasible. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted five focus group interviews among Norwegian GPs between November 2021 and November 2022. We included 21 GPs of varying age, gender, experience, and geographic situation. The data were transcribed verbatim and analysed by Systematic Text Condensation, a thematic cross-case analysis. RESULTS: Many GPs had a diverse and imprecise understanding of the term quality improvement, and sound routines in everyday practice were often given as examples of quality improvement measures. There was a universal attitude that quality improvement initiatives should be close to practice, professionally relevant, and sufficiently small to be manageable. The availability of professional communities, either in the GP practices or in continuous medical education groups, was important for motivation. The role of nurses and health secretaries was highlighted as essential to achieve change. Participants commonly described negative reactions to programs that were imposed by external actors without regard for the GPs' perceived needs. CONCLUSION: GPs were motivated for quality improvement measures provided feasibility within the framework of general practice. Well-functioning professional communities, including involvement of nurses and health-secretaries, were emphasised as requisite for quality improvement. Small scale quality improvement programs suited for the needs of general practice were well received and should be further developed.

Bystander responses in five-steps: Paving road to prosocial intervention to social exclusion through social-cognition.

To promote prosocial defending behaviours to social exclusion, it is important to understand the role of social-cognitive factors in bystanders' cognition, judgements and responses. The current research examined how social cognitive skills relate to different aspects of bystanders' cognition, judgements and responses in the five-step intervention model. Data were collected from 96 Turkish children and adolescents (Mage = 12.39 years, SD = 1.74, 59 girls, aged 10-17). Participants were presented with a hypothetical social exclusion scenario and their bystanders' cognition, judgements and responses were measured via five-step intervention model. Theory of mind (ToM), mind-reading motivation (MRM) and empathy were also measured as predictors. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that while ToM and MRM were more likely to predict bystanders' judgements and cognitions around social exclusion, empathy was also found to be correlated with behavioural aspects of bystanders' responses beside cognitions and judgements. Overall, our novel findings provide insight for intervention studies to promote prosocial bystanders' judgements, cognitions and responses by addressing different social-cognitive skills.

Neural activity ramps in frontal cortex signal extended motivation during learning.

Learning requires the ability to link actions to outcomes. How motivation facilitates learning is not well understood. We designed a behavioral task in which mice self-initiate trials to learn cue-reward contingencies and found that the anterior cingulate region of the prefrontal cortex (ACC) contains motivation-related signals to maximize rewards. In particular, we found that ACC neural activity was consistently tied to trial initiations where mice seek to leave unrewarded cues to reach reward-associated cues. Notably, this neural signal persisted over consecutive unrewarded cues until reward-associated cues were reached, and was required for learning. To determine how ACC inherits this motivational signal we performed projection-specific photometry recordings from several inputs to ACC during learning. In doing so, we identified a ramp in bulk neural activity in orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)-to-ACC projections as mice received unrewarded cues, which continued ramping across consecutive unrewarded cues, and finally peaked upon reaching a reward-associated cue, thus maintaining an extended motivational state. Cellular resolution imaging of OFC confirmed these neural correlates of motivation, and further delineated separate ensembles of neurons that sequentially tiled the ramp. Together, these results identify a mechanism by which OFC maps out task structure to convey an extended motivational state to ACC to facilitate goal-directed learning.

Achieving goals takes motivation. An individual may have to complete a task many times for a future reward. For example, an animal may have to forage repeatedly to find food, or a person may have to study to get a good grade on a test. How these complex behaviors are encoded in the brain's wiring is not fully understood. Patients with injuries to the frontal cortex of the brain display a lack of motivation to pursue goals. This discovery suggests the frontal cortex plays a vital role in motivation and goal-directed behavior. Animal studies show that part of their brain's frontal cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), helps them stay motivated and put extra effort into achieving goals. Yet, scientists wonder how particular actions are associated with specific goals and suspect the orbital frontal cortex (OFC) contains the blueprint to support this association. Regalado et al. show that the OFC and ACC work together during goal-seeking behavior in mice. In the experiments, mice learned to complete a task to achieve a sugar water reward. As the mice were learning, Regalado et al. recorded activity in the ACC and found that the ACC is active during goal-seeking behavior. They also discovered that the activity of neurons in the OFC increased the longer mice went without receiving a reward, up until the reward was achieved, signaling a motivational state. Animals not motivated enough to maximize their rewards did not have an increased OFC activity. The experiments also showed that the motivational signals in the OFC were conveyed to ACC to support goal-directed learning, especially linking actions to positive future outcomes. The experiments help explain how an increase in neuronal activity in the OFC helps to increase motivation and goal-seeking behavior supported by the ACC. More studies will help scientists learn more about these processes and develop drugs or other therapies that can help people who have learning difficulties or struggle with motivation because of an injury or mental illness.

Longevity as a Responsibility: Constructing Healthy Aging by Enacting within Contexts over the Entire Lifespan.

Studying aging now requires going beyond the bio-psycho-social model and incorporating a broader multidisciplinary view capable of capturing the ultimate complexity of being human that is expressed as individuals age. Current demographic trends and the lengthening of life expectancies allow the observation of long-lived individuals in full health. These super-agers are no longer an exception. Indeed, individuals can have a good quality of life even over age 70 and living with chronic or neurodegenerative diseases. This change is driven in part by the cohort effect observed in people who are about to age today (e.g., better schooling, more advanced health conditions, and technologization) but more so by the gradual overcoming of ageist views. An aged person is no longer seen as a quitter but rather as one empowered to direct their own trajectory of potentially healthy longevity. According to this vision, this article proposes a situated lifespan perspective for the study of aging that integrates pedagogical models of developmental ecology with psychological theories of optimal experience to understand the individual motivational perspective on aging. At the same time, it does not disregard analyzing the daily and cultural contexts in which everyone situates and that guide aging trajectories. Nor does it forget that aging people are body-mind (embodied) organisms that, with contexts and through motivations, seize opportunities for action (affordances) to evolve in an optimal way during their lifespan. This theoretical reflection sheds new light on the aging process and on future trends in healthy longevity research.

The effect of approach and avoidance motivation on self-perception.

This work addresses the link between motivation and self-perception by systematically studying visual self-representations. We propose that the way individuals perceive themselves may be associated with dispositional and situationally induced approach and avoidance motivation. First, we investigate how dispositional differences in approach/avoidance motivation and self-esteem relate to self-perception. Second, we investigate how state differences in approach/avoidance motivation relate to self-perception. Based on motivation literature, we predicted that self-perception would reflect psychological equanimity at the dispositional level (seeing the self in a favorable light), and motivational flexibility at the situational level (situational avoidance motivation results in a more realistic view of one's qualities). We use up-to-date face modeling methods to measure individuals' self-perceptions in a systematic, nuanced, and implicit way: Participants are repeatedly asked to indicate which of two portrait versions better represents themselves. Then we relate distortions in self-perceptions to agency and communion dimensions. We demonstrate that (1) participants low in self-esteem show more communion enhancement than participants high in self-esteem; (2) participants in an avoidance state show less agency enhancement (i.e., more realistic self-perceptions) than participants in an approach state. This research is first to demonstrate regularities in visual self-perception that are linked to approach and avoidance motivation.

Bidirectional valence coding in amygdala intercalated clusters: A neural substrate for the opponent-process theory of motivation.

Processing emotionally meaningful stimuli and eliciting appropriate valence-specific behavior in response is a critical brain function for survival. Thus, how positive and negative valence are represented in neural circuits and how corresponding neural substrates interact to cooperatively select appropriate behavioral output are fundamental questions. In previous work, we identified that two amygdala intercalated clusters show opposite response selectivity to fear- and anxiety-inducing stimuli - negative valence (Hagihara et al., 2021). Here, we further show that the two clusters also exhibit distinctly different representations of stimuli with positive valence, demonstrating a broader role of the amygdala intercalated system beyond fear and anxiety. Together with the mutually inhibitory connectivity between the two clusters, our findings suggest that they serve as an ideal neural substrate for the integrated processing of valence for the selection of behavioral output.

Motivational profiles for eating behavior and their associations with intuitive eating.

Intuitive eating is an adaptive eating approach shown to have positive psychological and physical health outcomes. Understanding the motivation behind eating behavior can provide valuable information for why some women eat intuitively and others do not. Using self-determination theory (SDT), this study aimed to identify motivational profiles for eating behavior and examine differences in intuitive eating across these motivational profiles. A nationally representative sample of New Zealand women (n = 1447) aged 40-50 years (M = 45.4; SD = 3.2) completed questionnaires assessing motivation and intuitive eating. Latent profile analysis identified five profiles characterized by varying levels of the global and specific forms of behavioral regulation described by SDT. The self-determined profile, characterized by high levels of global self-determination, had higher intuitive eating scores. The internalized profile, characterized by high levels of identified and integrated regulation, had average intuitive eating scores. The conflicted profile, characterized by high levels on most forms of behavioral regulation, and the unmotivated profile, characterized low levels on all forms of behavioral regulation, had a mix of high and low intuitive eating subscale scores. The amotivated profile, characterized by very high levels of amotivation, had lower intuitive eating scores. A motivational profile characterized by higher levels of self-determination and lower levels of the extrinsic forms of behavioral regulation appears to be beneficial for intuitive eating. Therefore, SDT-informed eating behavior interventions that enhance women's self-determined motivation should be created to facilitate intuitive eating in midlife women.

Towards a Healthy Diet in an Adolescent Population: The Mediating Role of Motivation and Perceived Barriers between Self-Efficacy and Weight Regulation.

(1) Background: Adolescence is a critical period when dietary choices are a major concern. It is therefore important to understand the psychological factors that explain these choices. The objective of this study was to assess the predictive role of perceived self-efficacy for healthy eating and weight regulation on healthy and unhealthy eating behavior through the mediation of autonomous motivation, controlled motivation, amotivation, and perceived barriers to daily mechanisms affecting healthy consumption. (2) Methods: A total of 994 adolescents between 15 and 19 years old from Mexico and Spain participated in the study. The Spanish versions of the healthy eating and weight self-efficacy questionnaire, the behavioral regulation in exercise questionnaire, the barriers to healthy eating scale, and the weight-related behaviors scale questionnaire were used to measure the variables of interest. (3) Results: Mediated serial regression analysis showed that barriers to healthy eating (the daily mechanism of food consumption) reduced healthy eating choices. Healthy eating and weight self-efficacy also showed a positive significant relationship with autonomous motivation and a negative relationship with controlled motivation and amotivation. All the types of motivation showed a positive relationship with barriers to healthy eating. (4) Conclusions: The results point out the need to enhance self-efficacy, promote autonomous motivation, and reduce perceived barriers in young people with respect to healthy eating.

Enhancing University Students' Motivation in Basketball Courses through Tactical Games Model.

As the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, universities face challenges such as diminished student physical fitness and a decreased interest in physical education courses. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the tactical games model (TGM) in enhancing university students' motivation in basketball courses, using a comparison control group taught using the direct instruction model (DIM). Additionally, this research delves into the motivational dynamics explained by self-determination theory, aiming to identify key factors influencing student engagement and participation. A total of 141 sophomore university students were analyzed and divided into an experimental group (68 students) and a control group (73 students). The participants engaged in an 8-week teaching intervention program. To assess motivation, the Sport Motivation Scale-II (SMS-II) was administered both before the start and one week after the conclusion of the intervention. Differences in motivation and subscale scores between the TGM and DIM groups were evaluated using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The results of the study demonstrated that the TGM significantly enhanced university students' motivation (SDI: F = 6.949; p = 0.009; η² = 0.049). Furthermore, TGM enhanced scores on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation sub-scales more effectively than the DIM. These findings advocate for the adoption of TGM by university instructors as a potent tool to elevate student motivation, emphasizing the importance of focusing on both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational elements within physical education programs.

Parental Involvement and Children's Subjective Well-Being: Mediating Roles of the Sense of Security and Autonomous Motivation in Chinese Primary School Students.

Parental involvement may influence the subjective well-being of primary school students, but the specific mechanisms remain unclear. This study explores the mechanisms between parental involvement and primary school students' subjective well-being. The current study investigated 340 fifth and sixth grade students and their parents from a primary school using the Parental Education Involvement Behavior Scale, the Well-Being Scale, the Sense of Security Scale, and the Learning Self-Regulation Scale. We found that (1) sense of security plays a complete mediating role between parental involvement and primary school students' subjective well-being; (2) autonomous motivation has a marginal mediating effect between parental involvement and subjective well-being of primary school students; and (3) sense of security and autonomous motivation play a chain mediating role between parents' educational involvement and primary school students' well-being. In conclusion, parental involvement appears to contribute to primary school children's subjective well-being, and this effect may be mediated individually and sequentially by the children's sense of security and autonomous motivation.

Promoting Engagement in Type 2 Diabetes Self-Management: Development of the Impact of Glucose Monitoring on Self-Management Scale (IGMSS).

INTRODUCTION: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) management requires behavioural engagement to achieve optimal outcomes. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) facilitates self-management. This paper describes the development of the Impact of Glucose Monitoring on Self-Management Scale (IGMSS), assessing the impact of device use (CGM or SMBG) on capability, motivation, and opportunity for self-management. METHODS: Items were generated from three sources: themes and quotes from a qualitative study of adults with T2D motivated by CGM use; the behaviour change theory of capability, opportunity and motivation; and expert committee review. 42 items were generated assessig personalized knowledge, improved health (Capability), improved relationships, having positive device characteristics (Opportunity) and improved self-management (Motivation). Psychometric evaluation (514 English-speaking Canadians using CGM) produced 22 final items using item-response distribution, internal consistency, factor analysis and expert opinion. Construct and convergent validity were evaluated using: Glucose Monitoring Satisfaction Scale, Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire, Diabetes Distress Scale, WHO-5 Well-Being Index, and the Centre for Epidemiology Depression scale. Test-retest reliability was determined on 130 participants. RESULTS: Internal consistency was high for all scales (α0.73 - 0.91), and test-retest reliability acceptable (ICC0.58 - 0.79 except for Device Characteristics). Construct and convergent validity indices were acceptable, with substantial overlap between the IGMSS and CGM satisfaction, self-management behaviours and emotional functioning. Based on expert review, items were written to be completed by those using SMBG or CGM. CONCLUSIONS: The IGMSS has positive psychometric characteristics with scores reflecting capability (personalized knowledge, improved health), opportunity (relationships and device characteristics) and motivation.

In a circuit necessary for cognition and emotional affect, Alzheimer's-like pathology associates with neuroinflammation, cognitive and motivational deficits in the young adult TgF344-AD rat.

In addition to extracellular amyloid plaques, intracellular neurofibrillary tau tangles, and inflammation, cognitive and emotional affect perturbations are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The cognitive and emotional domains impaired by AD include several forms of decision making (such as intertemporal choice), blunted motivation (increased apathy), and impaired executive function (such as working memory and cognitive flexibility). However, the interaction between these domains of the mind and their supporting neurobiological substrates at prodromal stages of AD, or whether these interactions can be predictive of AD severity (individual variability), remain unclear. In this study, we employed a battery of cognitive and emotional tests in the young adult (5-7 mo) transgenic Fisher-344 AD (TgF344-AD; TgAD) rat model of AD. We also assessed whether markers of inflammation or AD-like pathology in the prelimbic cortex (PrL) of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), basolateral amygdala (BLA), or nucleus accumbens (NAc), all structures that directly support the aforementioned behaviors, were predictive of behavioral deficits. We found TgAD rats displayed maladaptive decision making, greater apathy, and impaired working memory that was indeed predicted by AD-like pathology in the relevant brain structures, even at an early age. Moreover, we report that the BLA is an early epicenter of inflammation, and notably, AD-like pathology in the PrL, BLA, and NAc was predictive of BLA inflammation. These results suggest that operant-based battery testing may be sensitive enough to determine pathology trajectories, including neuroinflammation, from early stages of AD.

Partnered dance evokes greater intrinsic motivation than home exercise as therapeutic activity for chemotherapy-induced deficits: secondary results of a randomized, controlled clinical trial.

Introduction: Dance has been proposed to support superior intrinsic motivation over non-dance forms of therapeutic physical activity. However, this hypothesis has yet to be evaluated empirically, particularly among populations living with neuropathology such as survivors of cancer with neurologic complications from chemotherapy treatment. Questions about motivation are relevant to clinical outcomes because motivation mediates neuroplasticity. We conducted this secondary analysis of a randomized-controlled study to begin to investigate the relationships between personal motivation and neurophysiologic effects of dance-based intervention for healthy aging among populations with neurologic complications of cancer. Methods: We measured motivation using the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory, a validated patient-reported outcome from the psychological approach of Self Determination Theory. We assessed intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and satisfaction with intervention within a randomized controlled trial of dance versus exercise designed to alleviate symptoms of chemotherapy-induced impairment. Fifty-two survivors of breast cancer with chemotherapy-induced neuropathy diagnosis and associated sensorimotor functional deficits were randomized (1:1) to 8 weeks of partnered dance or home exercise, performed biweekly (NCT05114005; R21-AG068831). Results: While satisfaction did not differ between interventions, intrinsic motivation was higher among participants randomized to dance than those randomized to exercise (p < 0.0001 at all timepoints: 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks of intervention), as was extrinsic motivation at 2 weeks (p = 0.04) and 8 weeks (p = 0.01). Discussion: These data provide evidence that social dance is more motivating than the type of home exercise generally recommended as therapeutic physical activity. The results inform directions for future study of the effect of dance-based therapeutics on embodied agency, neuroplastic changes, and clinically-relevant neuropathic improvement.

Facing infant cuteness: How nurturing care motivation and oxytocin system gene methylation are associated with responses to baby schema features.

Baby schema features are a specific set of physical features-including chubby cheeks, large, low-set eyes, and a large, round head-that have evolutionary adaptive value in their ability to trigger nurturant care. In this study among nulliparous women (N = 81; M age = 23.60, SD = 0.44), we examined how sensitivity to these baby schema features differs based on individual variations in nurturant care motivation and oxytocin system gene methylation. We integrated subjective ratings with measures of facial expressions and electroencephalography (EEG) in response to infant faces that were manipulated to contain more or less pronounced baby schema features. Linear mixed effects analyses demonstrated that infants with more pronounced baby schema features were rated as cuter and participants indicated greater motivation to take care of them. Furthermore, infants with more pronounced baby schema features elicited stronger smiling responses and enhanced P2 and LPP amplitudes compared to infants with less pronounced baby schema features. Importantly, individual differences significantly predicted baby schema effects. Specifically, women with low OXTR methylation and high nurturance motivation showed enhanced differentiation in automatic neurophysiological responses to infants with high and low levels of baby schema features. These findings highlight the importance of considering individual differences in continued research to further understand the complexities of sensitivity to child cues, including facial features, which will improve our understanding of the intricate neurobiological system that forms the basis of caregiving behavior.

Test-reduced teaching for stimulation of intrinsic motivation (TRUST): a randomized controlled intervention study.

BACKGROUND: The anatomy dissection course is a major part of the first two years of the traditional medical curriculum in Germany. The vast amount of content to be learned and the repeated examination is unanimously perceived by students and teachers as a major stress factor that contributes to the increase of psychosocial stress during the first two years of the course of study. Published interventions for specific stress reduction are scarce. METHODS: In a randomized, controlled design two intervention groups were compared with a control group (CG) over the whole dissection course (nine measuring points before, during and after first and second semester). The 'Stress Management intervention (IVSM)' targeted at the setting of personal standards, the 'Friendly Feedback intervention (IVFF)' at the context of frequent testing. Quantitative surveys were distributed at nine measuring points. The questionnaire comprised validated instruments and self-developed items regarding stress, positive and negative affect, anxiety, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and perceived performance. RESULTS: Out of 195 students inscribed in the dissection course, 166 (85%) agreed to participate in the study. The experience of stress during the dissection course was significantly higher in the CG than in the IVFF. Anxiety and negative affect were lower in students of the IVFF while positive affect, intrinsic motivation, and self-efficacy were higher than in the CG. For anxiety and negative affect in the IVSM this was especially seen at the end of the second semester. The self-perceived increase in both knowledge and preparedness for the first big oral and written examination did not differ between the study groups. About three quarters of the participants would choose the intervention 'Friendly Feedback' if given the choice. CONCLUSIONS: Replacing formal tests with friendly feedback has proven to be an effective measure to reduce stress and negative affect and foster positive affect, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation, while it did not impair self-perceived academic performance.