Modeling social, dimensional, and temporal comparisons in self-concept development with the random intercept cross-lagged panel model: A methodological-substantive integration.

In recent years, discussion of the limitations of the standard cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) has increased, and the random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) has been proposed as an improved approach to modeling. By now, there are some first applications of the model to investigate reciprocal relations in self-concept development. However, a methodological-substantive integration of the model in the context of the three major comparison processes in self-concept development is still missing, and it has not been used to evaluate dimensional and temporal comparison effects. We provide such an integration in self-concept theory and applied the RI-CLPM to investigate social, dimensional, and temporal comparison effects simultaneously. Investigating a sample of 701 German students from the middle of Grade 9 to the middle of Grade 10, we confirmed previous results by finding trait-like stability in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) self-concept as well as in STEM and language achievement. We also found evidence for all three comparison effects, but evidence for dimensional comparison effects was only found at the between-person level of the RI-CLPM. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Online mentoring for girls in secondary education to increase participation rates of women in STEM: A long-term follow-up study on later university major and career choices.

An important first step in talent development in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is getting individuals excited about STEM. Females, in particular, are underrepresented in many STEM fields. Since girls' interest in STEM declines in adolescence, interventions should begin in secondary education at the latest. One appropriate intervention is (online) mentoring. Although its short-term effectiveness has been demonstrated for proximal outcomes during secondary education (e.g., positive changes in elective intentions in STEM), studies of the long-term effectiveness of STEM mentoring provided during secondary education-especially for real-life choices of university STEM majors and professions-are lacking. In our study, we examine females' real-life decisions about university majors and entering professions made years after they had participated in an online mentoring program (CyberMentor) during secondary education. The program's proximal positive influence on girls' elective intentions in STEM and certainty about career plans during secondary education had previously been demonstrated in several studies with pre-post-test waitlist control group designs. Specifically, we compared the choices that former mentees (n = 410) made about university majors and entering professions several years after program participation with (1) females of their age cohort and (2) females of a group of girls comparably interested in STEM who had signed up for the program but then not participated (n = 71). Further, we examined the explanatory contribution to these later career-path-relevant, real-life choices based on (1) mentees' baseline conditions prior to entering the program (e.g., elective intentions in STEM), (2) successful 1-year program participation, and (3) multiyear program participation. Findings indicate positive long-term effects of the program in all areas investigated.

Embodiment: I sat, I felt, I performed - Posture effects on mood and cognitive performance.

Previous embodiment findings indicate a relationship between physical posture and mood states, suggesting upright postures induce positive mood states. Findings also showed a relationship between moods and cognitive performance. While positive mood states were found to be related to increased processing speed, negative mood states were associated with higher processing accuracy in cognitive task performance. This implies that posture may affect the aforementioned sub-aspects of cognitive performance via mood states. Additionally, most studies on posture effects rely on explicit posture manipulation. With that in mind, our research explores the effects of implicitly manipulated postures on processing speed and accuracy and whether these effects are mediated by general mood. The results revealed that subjects in our sample (N = 82, M = 23.09years) who adopted an upright posture showed a more positive general mood (d = 0.50) and higher processing speed (d = 0.42) compared to those in stooped postures. Surprisingly, no differences in processing accuracy were found. There was no evidence of the proposed mediation in our data.

Nine years of online mentoring for secondary school girls in STEM: an empirical comparison of three mentoring formats.

Online mentoring can be useful for supporting girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Yet, little is known about the differential effects of various online mentoring formats. We examine the general and relative effectiveness of three online mentoring formats, one-on-one mentoring, many-to-many group mentoring, and a hybrid form of the two. All three formats were implemented in different years in the Germany-wide online-only mentoring program, CyberMentor, whose platform enables communication and networking between up to 800 girls (in grades 5-13) and 800 women (STEM professionals) each year. We combined longitudinal mentee data for all first-year participants (N = 4017 girls, Mage  = 14.15 years) from 9 consecutive mentoring years to evaluate and compare the three mentoring formats. Overall, all formats effected comparable increases in mentees' STEM activities and certainty about career plans. However, mentees' communication behavior and networking behavior on the mentoring platform differed between the three formats. Mentees in the hybrid mentoring format showed the most extensive STEM-related communication and networking on the platform. We also analyzed the explanatory contributions of STEM-related communication and networking on interindividual differences in the developmental trajectories of mentees' STEM activities, elective intentions in STEM, and certainty about career plans, for each format separately.

Neuroenergetics and "General Intelligence": A Systems Biology Perspective.

David C. Geary proposed the efficiency of mitochondrial processes, especially the production of energy, as the most fundamental biological mechanism contributing to individual differences in general intelligence (g). While the efficiency of mitochondrial functioning is undoubtedly an important and highly interesting factor, I outline several reasons why other main factors of neuroenergetics should not be neglected and why a systems biology perspective should be adopted. There are many advantages for research on intelligence to focus on individual differences in the capability of the overall brain metabolism system to produce the energy currency adenosine triphosphate (ATP): higher predictive strength than single mechanisms, diverse possibilities for experimental manipulation, measurement with existing techniques and answers to unresolved questions because of multiple realizability. Many of these aspects are especially important for research on developmental processes and the building and refining of brain networks for adaptation. Focusing too much on single parts of the system, like the efficiency of mitochondrial functioning, carries the danger of missing important information about the role of neuroenergetics in intelligence and valuable research opportunities.

Online Mentoring for Talented Girls in STEM: The Role of Relationship Quality and Changes in Learning Environments in Explaining Mentoring Success.

Although participation rates of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are continually improving, low rates are still an issue in many countries. While previous studies found positive effects of online mentoring for increasing girls' interests in STEM, research concerning explanatory mechanisms is lacking. We found evidence that in a 1-year online mentoring program for girls (age: M = 13.82 years, N = 998) in STEM, suitably implemented mentoring (operationalized via relationship quality in a program that systematically incorporates structural and organizational aspects of successful mentoring) was associated with positive changes in the learning environments of the mentees (as indicated by their increasing educational capital). These positive changes were associated with increases in the program-related mentoring outcomes STEM activities and elective intentions in STEM. Finally, we found that suitably implemented online mentoring was indirectly related to an increase in these two mentoring outcomes via an increase in educational capital. These results indicate the importance of paying close attention to learning environments when planning interventions.

Learning resources and talent development from a systemic point of view.

System theories postulate that a system needs resources in order to evolve and function as an entirety. According to the actiotope model of giftedness, exogenous and endogenous resources needed to develop excellence include five forms of educational capital (economic, cultural, social, infrastructural, and didactic) and five forms of learning capital (organismic, telic, actional, episodic, and attentional), independent of domain and level of talent development. In three studies, we addressed several blind spots in the empirical basis of the educational and learning capital (ELC) approach. The studies were conducted in different domains, with different samples, and on various levels of talent development, as well as with regard to different functions for which resources can be used. Study 1, comprising 365 sixth graders, showed that ELC have an incremental validity beyond IQ for predicting scholastic achievement. In study 2 with 90 women holding a university degree in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), we provide evidence that in the collegiate actiotopes of women who were later successful in STEM, more ELC had been available and was used to serve different functions than in the actiotopes of less successful women in STEM. In study 3 with 74 long-distance runners, we found a similar pattern of results for different achievement levels in an athletics domain.