Examining College Music Majors' Perceived Barriers and Motivation to Exercise.

Previous research has revealed music majors, in general, do not identify as exercisers, subjecting them to various health risks. Influenced by self-determination theory, the current study examined exercise motivation and self-efficacy in overcoming barriers to exercise in relation to number of times per week collegiate music majors reported they engaged in physical exercise. One hundred six college music majors completed a demographic questionnaire regarding their participation in marching music activities and how many days per week they engaged in physical exercise. They also completed two standardized questionnaires that assessed their motivation to exercise (i.e., Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2) and their confidence in overcoming barriers to exercise (i.e., Barriers Specific Self-Efficacy Scale). Results indicated that music majors who espoused a stronger identified motivation to exercise and had greater self-efficacy in their perceived ability to overcome barriers to exercise reported a greater frequency of exercise engagement. Sex difference were also found, with female music students being less confident (than their male counterparts) in their ability to overcome barriers to exercise. These findings highlight the motivations, obstacles, and perceptions of exercise in the music culture, providing a helpful start for comprehending what drives individuals in this domain.

BMI changes among marching artists: a longitudinal study.

In a series of longitudinal analyses, we examined body mass index (BMI) of drum and bugle corps performers at the beginning (Time 1) and end (Time 2) of a competitive season and again at a 1-year follow-up (Time 3). Utilizing an archival database, BMI data were recorded for 501 marching arts performers, representing four world-class drum and bugle corps. Significant reductions in BMI were found between Time 1 and Time 2 for performers in all sections (i.e., brass, percussion, and color guard). Archival data from 92 performers, representing three world-class drum and bugle units, revealed BMI significantly increased from Time 2 to Time 3. In an effort to identify possible personal influences on the changes in BMI found between Times 2 and 3, 50 performers from one drum and bugle corps provided archival data on a measures of performers' athletic identity (i.e., the strength and exclusivity of one's identification with the athlete role) along with BMI. Correlational analyses revealed that performers' athletic identity negatively related to BMI change from Time 1 and Time 3 and Times 2 and 3 (i.e., stronger athletic identity, lower BMI change). Practical implications are discussed.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu players' motivations to train.

Combat sports, such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), require intense physical, mental, and emotional tasking within its training. With the degree of difficulty ingrained within the sport, many participants that once were intrigued by the sport may lose this interest and enjoyment if their goals are not met. The purpose of this study was to examine the relative strength of sport motivations among BJJ players. Participants included 228 BJJ athletes varying in levels of sport participation experience. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, participants were assessed on five motives for sport participation including: fitness, appearance, competence, social, and interest/enjoyment. Motives related to interest/enjoyment, competence, and fitness, were rated relatively higher; and appearance and social were rated relatively lower regarding participants' motivation for BJJ participation. Analyses were also conducted related to athletes' years of experience and competitive level of participation (i.e., hobbyist or non-competitor to those who compete on a regular basis) There was a significant effect of competence and interest/enjoyment motivators among competitive BJJ players, regardless of years of experience in the sport. Findings from this study could aid coaches, sport clinicians, and sport psychologists in working with BJJ players by focusing their training on the motivators that are most appealing to these athletes.

An investigation of musical performance anxiety in the marching arts.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of musical performance anxiety (MPA) in marching artists. The marching arts include high school and college marching bands, drum and bugle corps, and indoor color guard and percussion ensembles. Drawing on a sample of 780 world class drum and bugle corps performers, we examined the prevalence of somatic and cognitive symptoms of MPA. We also examined differences in endorsement of symptoms by performing section (i.e., brass players, percussionists, and dancers/color guard) and gender. Results revealed a relatively low prevalence of MPA symptoms as compared with prior studies of adolescent and young adult performers. In addition, color guard performers reported significantly greater magnitudes of somatic MPA symptoms than brass players, and female performers reported greater magnitudes of cognitive MPA symptoms than their male counterparts. Practical recommendations are discussed.

Key personality traits of sales managers.

BACKGROUND: Sales managers are crucial for producing positive sales outcomes for companies. However, there has been a relative dearth of scholarly investigations into the personal attributes of sales managers. Such information could prove important in the recruitment, selection, training needs identification, career planning, counseling, and development of sales managers. OBJECTIVE: Drawing on Holland's vocational theory, we sought to identify key personality traits that distinguish sales managers from other occupations and are related to their career satisfaction. PARTICIPANTS: The main sample was comprised of a total of 978 sales managers employed in a large number of companies across the United States (along with a comparison sample drawn from 79,512 individuals from other professional occupations). METHODS: Participants completed an online version of Resource Associates' Personal Style Inventory as well a measure of career satisfaction. RESULTS: Our sample of 978 sales managers had higher levels of Assertiveness, Customer Service Orientation, Extraversion, Image Management, Optimism, and Visionary Style; and lower levels of Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Intrinsic Motivation, Openness, and Tough-Mindedness than a sample of 79,512 individuals in a variety of other occupations. Nine of these traits were significantly correlated with sales managers' career satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Based on the results, a psychological profile of sales managers was presented as were implications for their recruitment, selection, training, development, and mentoring.

LORETA Neurofeedback in the Precuneus: Operant Conditioning in Basic Mechanisms of Self-Regulation.

Low-resolution brain electomagnetic tomography (LORETA) neurofeedback provides a mechanism to influence the electrical activity of the brain in intracranial space. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of LORETA neurofeedback (LNFB) in the precuneus as a mechanism for improving self-regulation in controls and a heterogeneous diagnostic group (DX). Thirteen participants completed between 10 and 20 sessions of LNFB training in a 3-voxel cluster in the left precuneus. The participants included 5 nonclinical university students, and 8 adults with heterogeneous psychiatric diagnoses. We assessed the effects of LNFB with neurophysiological measures as well as pre- and post-Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) subscales and selected subtests from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (DKEFS). There was a significant total relative power increase at the precuneus for baseline contrasts for the control group. The DX group did not reach significant levels. All participants showed improvements in executive functions and tended to report significantly less psychopathology. The basic neural mechanisms of self-regulation are poorly understood. The data obtained in this study demonstrate that LNFB in a heterogeneous population enhances executive functions while concordantly decreasing endorsement of psychological symptoms. The alpha frequency in the brain may represent integrative functioning relative to operant efficiency and self-regulatory mechanisms.

Personality correlates of self-employed small business owners' success.

OBJECTIVE: Drawing on prior occupational choice research on entrepreneurs and self-employed business owners, we examined personality predictors of their occupational business success and work satisfaction. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURES: A sample of 147 small business owners completed a web-based assessment of 14 work-related personality traits--adaptability, autonomy, competitiveness, dependability, emotional resilience, goal-setting, optimism, persistence, risk tolerance, self-promotion, networking, and tolerance for financial insecurity, work-based locus of control, and work drive--and three self-reported indices of business success--revenue growth, profit growth, and income growth--as well as multiple facets of individual satisfaction. Criterion variables included composite business success and overall satisfaction. RESULTS: Ten traits correlated with business success. The top four personality predictors of success--goal-setting, social networking, emotional resilience, and work drive--together accounted for 16% of the variance. Similarly, 12 of 14 personality traits were positively related to overall satisfaction. The top three personality predictors of satisfaction--optimism, work-based locus of control, and work drive--accounted for 29% of the variability in satisfaction. An expectancy analysis revealed that the percent of participants who reported at least a 20% increase in sales and profits the preceding year was 26% versus 54% for individual scoring in the lower and upper third of a personality composite measure. CONCLUSIONS: Results carry implications for future research, and have direct, practical applications for prospective and current entrepreneurs and self-employed owners of small businesses.

Big Five personality traits and performance anxiety in relation to marching arts satisfaction.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the Big Five personality traits and performance anxiety in relation to marching arts satisfaction. PARTICIPANTS: Data were collected from 278 instrumentalists (i.e., brass players and percussionists) and color guard performers (e.g., dancers) representing six world class drum and bugle corps. METHOD: PARTICIPANTS completed three measures: the Adolescent Personal Style Inventory was used to measure the Big Five personality factors: Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Extraversion, and Openness; the Performance Anxiety Questionnaire - used to assess somatic and cognitive symptoms of performance anxiety; and the Marching Arts Satisfaction - used to assess for the physical, social, and contextual environments of drum and bugle corps. RESULTS: Correlation and multiple regression analyses revealed concurrent relationships between the Big Five and performance anxiety with satisfaction. A linear combination of the Big Five traits and Performance Anxiety accounted for 36% of the total variance in satisfaction, with Extraversion, Emotional Stability, and Performance Anxiety contributing significant unique variance. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study suggest that performers who are extraverted, conscientious, and effective at managing general stress - and performance stress in particular - find a greater sense of satisfaction with their participation in world class drum and bugle corps.

Clinical research on the utility of hypnosis in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medical and psychiatric disorders.

The authors summarize 4 articles of special interest to the hypnosis community in the general scientific and medical literatures. All are empirical studies testing the clinical utility of hypnosis, and together address the role of hypnosis in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medical and psychiatric disorders/conditions. The first is a randomized controlled study of smoking cessation treatments comparing a hypnosis-based protocol to an established behavioral counseling protocol. Hypnosis quit rates are superior to those of the accepted behavioral counseling protocol. A second study with pediatric patients finds hypnosis critically helpful in differentiating nonepileptic seizure-like behaviors (pseudoseizures) from epilepsy. The remaining 2 papers are randomized controlled trials testing whether hypnosis is effective in helping patients manage the emotional distress of medical procedures associated with cancer treatment. Among female survivors of breast cancer, hypnosis reduces perceived hot flashes and associated emotional and sleep disruptions. Among pediatric cancer patients, a brief hypnotic intervention helps control venepuncture-related pain.

Neurophysiological attributes of the hypnotic state and the utility of hypnosis in pediatric medicine and burn care.

Three articles of special interest to the hypnosis community recently appeared in the general scientific and medical literatures. The first paper is a thoughtful review of the clinical applications of hypnosis in pediatric settings. The second article reports the findings of a randomized, controlled trial of hypnosis for burn-wound care, carried out at the University of Washington Medical School. The third article describes an innovative EEG laboratory case study tracking the cortex functional connectivity of a highly hypnotizable subject across various baseline and experimental conditions. These three articles are sturdy examples of how hypnosis illuminates (and is illuminated by) medical and psychological science.