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Whether You Quit Or Persevere Depends On Your Perception Of Control; What Make Us Try Again

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It’s not the circumstances that cause us to act a certain way, it’s how we choose to react that defines us. One person’s reaction to bad news may make them work harder while another person may quit or give up, and researchers have found it all depends on how much control we feel we have over the situation. The findings, which were published in the journal Neuron, detail how researchers examined the brain’s activity in different situations.

Test Taking And Trying Harder Relies On Perception Of Control

“Think of the student who failed an exam,” said the study’s co-author Jamil Bhanji, a postdoctoral fellow at Rutgers, in a press release. “They might feel they wouldn’t have failed if they had studied harder, studied differently — something under their control.”

If a student believes the teacher slipped trick questions into his exam or the test was an unfair evaluation of how he performed in the class, his lack of control is more likely to lead to dropping the course or giving up studying as hard for the next exam. Using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine, researchers watched brain activity in the ventral striatum, a region that guides goals based on past experiences.

“You may deliver the news to the student — no sugarcoating, here’s your setback,” the study’s co-author Mauricio Delgado, an associate professor of psychology, said in the release. “But then you make an offer — would you like to review those study habits with me? I’d be happy to do it.’ This puts the student in a situation where they may experience control and be more likely to improve the next time. We wonder why there are fewer women and minorities in the sciences, for example.”

If two students fail a test and one believes it was their fault for not studying enough, they’ll try again, but the other student who believes it was out of their control is more likely to quit. Overcoming these emotions exercises the vertromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), the part of the brain that regulates emotions and, with practice, can promote persistence in our actions. Researchers have found the way bad news is delivered needs to be more constructive, especially in a classroom setting in order for a student to persevere, try again, and exercise their brain to be better next time.

“Maybe in cases like that it’s fair to say there are things we can do to promote reactions to negative feedback that encourage persistence,” Delgado said. “There are times when you should not be persistent with your goals. That’s where the striatal system in the brain, which can be a source of more habitual responses, may be a detriment. You keep thinking ‘I can do it, I can do it.’ But maybe you shouldn’t do it. During these times, interpreting the setback more flexibly, via the vmPFC, may be more helpful.”

The Relation Between Intelligence and Religiosity.

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A Meta-Analysis and Some Proposed Explanations

A meta-analysis of 63 studies showed a significant negative association between intelligence and religiosity. The association was stronger for college students and the general population than for participants younger than college age; it was also stronger for religious beliefs than religious behavior. For college students and the general population, means of weighted and unweighted correlations between intelligence and the strength of religious beliefs ranged from −.20 to −.25 (mean r = −.24). Three possible interpretations were discussed. First, intelligent people are less likely to conform and, thus, are more likely to resist religious dogma. Second, intelligent people tend to adopt an analytic (as opposed to intuitive) thinking style, which has been shown to undermine religious beliefs. Third, several functions of religiosity, including compensatory control, self-regulation, self-enhancement, and secure attachment, are also conferred by intelligence. Intelligent people may therefore have less need for religious beliefs and practices.

  • Source: SAGE

 

Generational changes and their impact in the classroom: teaching Generation Me.

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 Context Many faculty members believe that students today differ from those in the past. This paper reviews the empirical evidence for generational changes among students and makes recommendations for classroom teaching based on these changes. Generational changes are rooted in shifts in culture and should be viewed as reflections of changes in society.

 Methods This paper reviews findings from a number of studies, most of which rely on over-time meta-analyses of students’ (primarily undergraduates’) responses to psychological questionnaires measuring IQ, personality traits, attitudes, reading preferences and expectations. Others are time-lag studies of nationally representative samples of high school students.

 Results Today’s students (Generation Me) score higher on assertiveness, self-liking, narcissistic traits, high expectations, and some measures of stress, anxiety and poor mental health, and lower on self-reliance. Most of these changes are linear; thus the year in which someone was born is more relevant than a broad generational label. Moreover, these findings represent average changes and exceptions certainly occur.

 Discussion These characteristics suggest that Generation Me would benefit from a more structured but also more interactive learning experience, and that the overconfidence of this group may need to be tempered. Faculty and staff should give very specific instructions and frequent feedback, and should explain the relevance of the material. Rules should be strictly followed to prevent entitled students from unfairly working the system. Generation Me students have high IQs, but little desire to read long texts. Instruction may need to be delivered in shorter segments and perhaps incorporate more material delivered in media such as videos and an interactive format. Given their heightened desire for leisure, today’s students may grow into professionals who demand lighter work schedules, thereby creating conflict within the profession.

Source: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Generational changes and their impact in the classroom: teaching Generation Me.

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Many faculty members believe that students today differ from those in the past. This paper reviews the empirical evidence for generational changes among students and makes recommendations for classroom teaching based on these changes. Generational changes are rooted in shifts in culture and should be viewed as reflections of changes in society.

 Methods This paper reviews findings from a number of studies, most of which rely on over-time meta-analyses of students’ (primarily undergraduates’) responses to psychological questionnaires measuring IQ, personality traits, attitudes, reading preferences and expectations. Others are time-lag studies of nationally representative samples of high school students.

 Results Today’s students (Generation Me) score higher on assertiveness, self-liking, narcissistic traits, high expectations, and some measures of stress, anxiety and poor mental health, and lower on self-reliance. Most of these changes are linear; thus the year in which someone was born is more relevant than a broad generational label. Moreover, these findings represent average changes and exceptions certainly occur.

 Discussion These characteristics suggest that Generation Me would benefit from a more structured but also more interactive learning experience, and that the overconfidence of this group may need to be tempered. Faculty and staff should give very specific instructions and frequent feedback, and should explain the relevance of the material. Rules should be strictly followed to prevent entitled students from unfairly working the system. Generation Me students have high IQs, but little desire to read long texts. Instruction may need to be delivered in shorter segments and perhaps incorporate more material delivered in media such as videos and an interactive format. Given their heightened desire for leisure, today’s students may grow into professionals who demand lighter work schedules, thereby creating conflict within the profession.

Medical educators face many of the same challenges as other faculty in trying to communicate with a generation they may not fully understand. Although Generation Me has many strengths, such as tolerance and a drive to succeed, its members may sometimes be tooconfident. Others crack under the pressure of sustaining high achievement and develop mental health problems. Their previous educational experiences have often not prepared them for the hard work and challenges required to succeed.

Educators can take several steps to better teach this generation. The first step is to understand its perspectives and realise that they are reflections of contemporary culture. Generation Me is doing exactly what it has been taught to by parents, teachers and media. The second step is to meet its members on their own ground by breaking lectures into short chunks, using video and promoting hands-on learning. However, standards for content and learning should remain the same, and should be fair to everyone. If one student asks for and receives special treatment, the rest of the class is short-changed, as is the ‘special’ student in the long run (the longer he receives special treatment, the more difficult he will find it to succeed in a world that does not confer special treatment just for asking). Educators cannot compromise on the material that must be learned. As students feel more entitled, more will demand better grades for less work, just as they received in high school. In medical education, however, allowing students to earn good grades when they do not learn the material is not only unfair but dangerous.

Today’s students frequently need the purpose and meaning of activities spelled out for them. Previous generations had a sense of duty and would often do what they were told without asking why. Most young people no longer respond to appeals to duty; instead, they want to know exactly why they are doing something and want to feel they are having a personal impact. This is an opportunity: if young people understand the deeper meaning behind a task, they can bring their energy and passion to bear on it. Medicine is a natural field for people who seek to have an impact, and this desire can be harnessed to improve medical education. Although self-esteem and narcissism do not necessarily help people succeed, narcissistic people’s desire for attention can potentially be harnessed to good ends, such as that of helping others through medicine. However, medical educators must make sure that students’ overconfidence does not lead to failure, and that the importance of less visible tasks is emphasised. Medical education resembles evolution in that it rewards by ensuring the survival of the fittest. When taught properly, the fittest of Generation Me will succeed, just as the fittest members of previous generations have done in the past.

 

Source: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com

 

Quality Medical Research Paper Writing Tips.

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Medical research papers are a common thing if you belong to the pharmacy, nursing and other health based careers. They handle all and sundry on medical issues. Writing medical research papers is a challenging process and many students struggle with it, no matter what level they are. This post gives you some basic, effective and easy to follow, medical research paper writing tips.

1. Select a topic

The topic is the single most important factor you have to consider before you start writing. The topic is the medical research paper. Out of all the topics you have, select the one you are most comfortable with in as far as specialty is concerned, how easy it is to research the topic, research ability and practicality and generally, if it’s easy. Get a topic you feel is unique and easy to handle with.

2. Write for humans

Many students imagine they write for robots. Truth is, the evaluators are just usual mates and for your paper to have an impact, it has to appeal to them. This means you not only have to ensure you think like them, but to also present, your best work. This way, the chances of the evaluators rejecting your work are extremely low.

3. Planning your work

When you are writing a research paper, whether it is medical or not, have a plan for your work, a blueprint. When work is logical, the chances of it making sense and getting approved increase significantly. Students often find this factor challenging and in fact, give it as the hardest part of their research papers. If you are not sure how to treat a particular challenge or argument challenge, seek guidance.

4. Use your computer power

The computer is a very critical medical paper-writing tool. It does not negate the need for written material. However, it does play a crucial role in the research process through the internet, which is full of material that is important. You can use the internet material to research your topics widely. Moreover, there is different software you can use to create better presentations. These range from the word processors and presentation software. Use them to create a more professional feel to the paper. The computer is also critical with helping you get bookmarks, save backups and other benefits.

5. Be thorough

Nothing says good work better than work that is thorough. You have to put effort in whatever you write and others have to feel it. Start the paper with a strong introduction; create a compelling research body with personally created diagrams and a strong closing call to action. Also ensure you go back to re-verify your work, before polishing up on the grammar, typos and spellings.

6. Always report something

The essence of a research paper is to report something, a finding, practical facts and medically relevant information.  At the end, let the paper have something that it’s reporting, plus all the facts. If you are capable of delivering a paper that looks at all these facts and gives value to the work done, chances are, the paper will be accepted.

Source: BMJ Doc to Doc blog.

A More Creative Version of Counting Sheep to Get to Sleep .

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In a small study among college students with insomnia, focusing on personally engaging but nonarousing thoughts (e.g., song lyrics, recipes) instead of ruminations seemed to be more effective than standardized sleep hygiene.

In Journal Watch Psychiatry, Peter Roy-Byrne writes: “Clinicians, especially those in primary care, could offer this technique to their patients as a first-line intervention before prescribing hypnotic medications. The intervention seems to be a creative variant of the old ‘counting sheep’ method, but is more likely to be effective because it employs personalized cognitive scripts that are more appealing and easier to focus on.”

Source: Journal Watch Psychiatry

Want to Boost Your IQ? Get Better Grades? Work More Efficiently?

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Exercise isn’t just about losing weight or getting bigger biceps and six-pack abs.

More and more studies are showing that exercise can boost your intelligence and mental acuity, with brain benefits for grade-schoolers all the way up to working adults and seniors.

Exercise! In the infographic above, the evidence speaks loud and clear that regular exercise can improve test scores, IQ levels and task efficiency. Some of the research highlights include:1

  • Among elementary school students, 40 minutes of daily exercise increased IQ by an average of nearly 4 points
  • Among 6th graders, the fittest students scored 30 percent higher than average students, and the less fit students scored 20 percent lower
  • Among older students, those who play vigorous sports have a 20 percent improvement in Math, Science, English and Social Studies
  • Fit 18-year-olds are more likely to go on to higher education and get full-time jobs
  • Students who exercise before class improved test scores 17 percent, and those who worked out for 40 minutes improved an entire letter grade

Even once you’re in the workforce, exercise can be an invaluable tool to increase your performance and productivity. Research shows an employee who exercises regularly is 15 percent more efficient than those who do not, which means a fit employee only needs to work 42.5 hours in a week to do the same work as an average employee does in 50.2

Boosting Your Brain Power With Exercise

Most people don’t understand that your brain is pliable, and it can actually improve even after it is damaged. Exercise is a powerful way to encourage your brain to work at optimum capacity by causing nerve cells to multiply, strengthening their interconnections and protecting them from damage. Animal tests have illustrated that during exercise their nerve cells release proteins known as neurotrophic factors. One in particular, called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), triggers numerous other chemicals that promote neural health, and has a direct benefit on cognitive functions, including enhanced learning.

Further, exercise provides protective effects to your brain through:

  • The production of nerve-protecting compounds
  • Greater blood flow to your brain
  • Improved development and survival of neurons
  • Decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases

So if you value your brainpower, you’ll want to make certain that exercise is a regular part of your life. Staying active with a variety of activities is best, as each type of exercise may offer unique benefits for your brain health and may even help your brain to grow as you get older, rather than shrink – which is the norm.

For instance, a review of more than 100 studies, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, revealed that both aerobic and resistance training are important for maintaining cognitive and brain health in old age.3 Moderate exercise can reverse normal brain shrinkage by 2 percent, effectively reversing age-related hippocampus degeneration by one to two years.4 Also according to the study, the people in the control group who didn’t exercise saw an average of 1.4 percent decrease in hippocampus size.

Now listen up… when these researchers say the hippocampus region of the brain increases in size as a response to exercise, they are talking about a powerful tool to fight the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The hippocampus, which is considered the memory center of your brain, is the first region of your brain to suffer shrinkage and impairment at the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, leading to memory problems and disorientation.

So not only can exercise boost your brain power from your childhood years on up, it can help keep your brain from shrinking once you’re older, so you can keep the brainpower you have.

Tips for a Well-Rounded Exercise Program

To get all the benefits exercise has to offer, you’ll want to strive for a varied and well-rounded fitness program that incorporates a variety of exercises. As a general rule, as soon as an exercise becomes easy to complete, you need to increase the intensity and/or try another exercise to keep challenging your body. I recommend incorporating the following types of exercise into your program:

  1. High-Intensity Interval (Anaerobic) Training: This is when you alternate short bursts of high-intensity exercise with gentle recovery periods. In the video below, you can see a demonstration of this in action using Peak Fitness.
  2. Strength Training: Rounding out your exercise program with a 1-set strength training routine will ensure that you’re really optimizing the possible health benefits of a regular exercise program. You can also “up” the intensity by slowing it down. For more information about using super slow weight training as a form of high-intensity interval exercise, please see my interview with Dr. Doug McGuff below.

Download Interview Transcript

  1. Core Exercises: Your body has 29 core muscles located mostly in your back, abdomen and pelvis. This group of muscles provides the foundation for movement throughout your entire body, and strengthening them can help protect and support your back, make your spine and body less prone to injury and help you gain greater balance and stability.

You need enough repetitions to exhaust your muscles. The weight should be heavy enough that this can be done in fewer than 12 repetitions, yet light enough to do a minimum of four repetitions. It is also important NOT to exercise the same muscle groups every day. They need at least two days of rest to recover, repair and rebuild. Exercise programs like Pilates and yoga are also great for strengthening your core muscles, as are specific exercises you can learn from a personal trainer.

  1. Stretching: My favorite type of stretching is active isolated stretches developed by Aaron Mattes. With Active Isolated Stretching, you hold each stretch for only two seconds, which works with your body’s natural physiological makeup to improve circulation and increase the elasticity of muscle joints. This technique also allows your body to repair itself and prepare for daily activity. You can also use devices like the Power Plate to help you stretch.

New Proof that Exercise Makes You Smarter

Wondering How to Get Your Kids Hooked on Exercise?

It’s easy to get kids “hooked” on video games and television, but getting them hooked on exercise is a gift that will last a lifetime.

Your child does not need to log 30-60 minutes in the gym or in a specific exercise class, unless that’s really what they want to do. A game of tag here, a bike ride there… short bursts of activity with periods of rest in between will work wonders, and kids will typically fall into this behavior quite spontaneously, as long as they’re outdoors and not cooped up in front of a TV or computer screen

Allow your child to choose activities that appeal to them and which are age appropriate. Remember that the trick to getting kids interested in exercise at a young age is to keep it fun. Gymnastics classes, sports, dance, hikes in the woods, canoeing, swimming, taking the dog for a walk… all count as “exercise” for kids (and for you!).

Of course, acting as a role model by staying active yourself is one of the best ways to motivate and inspire your kids. If your child sees you embracing exercise as a positive and important part of your lifestyle, they will naturally follow suit.

Source: mercola.com