Many studies have reported poor school achievement in evening persons and general circadian fluctuations in cognition. The aim of this study was to analyze circadian fluctuations in a cross-sectional design and examine the effects of chronotype on situational emotions and intrinsic motivation. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted in three Turkish secondary schools with a total sample of 599 students (283 females and 316 males). Data were collected at the end of specific math lessons of the same grade level and content, using a form combining three scales. We found no gender-related differences in intrinsic motivation, while there were some differences in situational motivation. In math classes, female students exhibited higher level of interest, while boys scored higher on boredom. In addition, students who scored high on morning affect reported higher levels of interest, well-being, and less boredom. Students with higher stability (and lower fluctuations in mood and cognition during the day) reported a higher degree of enjoyment, perceived competence, perceived choice, and less pressure/tension in their math lessons. A positive association was observed between distinctness, interest, and well-being, while negative correlations existed between distinctness and boredom. This suggests that students with higher diurnal stability reported a higher level of interest, well-being, and a lower level of boredom. Additionally, the results of the analyses showed that morningness, distinctness, and eveningness were significant predictors of intrinsic motivation. Conversely, gender, time of application, morningness, and distinctness emerged as predictors for situational emotions in mathematics classes.

UNASSIGNED: Grounded in self-determination theory, this article deals with a multidimensional measurement of the support of the basic psychological needs and the individual and combined effects on the development of intrinsic motivation and perceived competence in physical education. In addition to the supportive teacher behaviors of autonomy support, competence support and relatedness support, peer relatedness support is examined as an additional factor.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 1,047 students from 72 classes from various German-speaking Swiss cantons took part in the study. The hypothesized four factorial structure was analyzed using multilevel confirmatory factor analyses. Longitudinal measurement invariance testing of intrinsic motivation and perceived competence indicates scalar measurement invariance. Multilevel regression analyses were specified to analysis the longitudinal effects on the development of intrinsic motivation and perceived competence, whereby both the effects of the individual factors as well as the adjusted effects under the inclusion of all predictors were examined.
UNASSIGNED: Results of multilevel confirmatory factor analysis indicate that the hypothesized four-factor model (e.g., CFI = 0.97; TLI = 0.96; RMSEA = 0.04; SRMR between = 0.11) is to be favored over alternative models at both levels. Regarding the prediction of the development of intrinsic motivation and perceived competence our study underlines the predictive value of basic psychological need support. The models that examine the effects of the individual predictors indicate that the effects are largely consistent with expectations at both the class and individual level. At class level, however, autonomy support appears to be no significant predictor for the development of intrinsic motivation (p < 0.10), but for perceived competence (p < 0.05). Peer relatedness support is a significant predictor for both outcome variables at both levels of analysis. Regarding the simultaneous integration of all predictors, only the effects of peer relatedness support remain significant for both outcome variables.
UNASSIGNED: The empirical support of the multidimensionality of the instrument is particularly interesting in the context of the common conceptualization of a unidimensional measurement of autonomy support or a composite factor of psychological need support, whereby only few studies have adequately tested the factorial validity. Although significant effects of supportive teacher behaviors can be demonstrated in the multilevel regression analyses, it is also indicated that the different dimensions lack of incremental predictive validity. Particularly noteworthy is the rarely investigated role of peer relatedness support, which has been shown to be a meaningful predictor, even when supportive teacher behaviors are taken into account.

We present an end-to-end architecture for embodied exploration inspired by two biological computations: predictive coding and uncertainty minimization. The architecture can be applied to any exploration setting in a task-independent and intrinsically driven manner. We first demonstrate our approach in a maze navigation task and show that it can discover the underlying transition distributions and spatial features of the environment. Second, we apply our model to a more complex active vision task, whereby an agent actively samples its visual environment to gather information. We show that our model builds unsupervised representations through exploration that allow it to efficiently categorize visual scenes. We further show that using these representations for downstream classification leads to superior data efficiency and learning speed compared to other baselines while maintaining lower parameter complexity. Finally, the modular structure of our model facilitates interpretability, allowing us to probe its internal mechanisms and representations during exploration.

In uncertain environments with robot input saturation, both model-based reinforcement learning (MBRL) and traditional controllers struggle to perform control tasks optimally. In this study, an algorithmic framework of Curiosity Model Policy Optimization (CMPO) is proposed by combining curiosity and model-based approach, where tracking errors are reduced via training agents on control gains for traditional model-free controllers. To begin with, a metric for judging positive and negative curiosity is proposed. Constrained optimization is employed to update the curiosity ratio, which improves the efficiency of agent training. Next, the novelty distance buffer ratio is defined to reduce bias between the environment and the model. Finally, CMPO is simulated with traditional controllers and baseline MBRL algorithms in the robotic environment designed with non-linear rewards. The experimental results illustrate that the algorithm achieves superior tracking performance and generalization capabilities.

UNASSIGNED: 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.
UNASSIGNED: 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).
UNASSIGNED: 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).
UNASSIGNED: 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.

Background Motivation dysregulation is common in several psychiatric disorders. However, little is known about the relationships between motivation and the regional brain areas involved. We evaluated the relationships between brain microstructural features and causality orientation in patients with schizophrenia, major depressive disorder (MDD), and bipolar disorder (BD) using diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) techniques. Methods Forty patients with MDD, 36 with BD, and 30 with schizophrenia underwent DKI and assessment using the General Causality Orientation Scale (GCOS). We analyzed the DKI index and the GCOS subscales. Results The psychiatric patients showed significant positive correlations between the GCOS-autonomy orientation score and the mean kurtosis (MK) values in the prefrontal regions, orbitofrontal regions, and posterior cingulate cortex. When the analyses were performed separately by disease and gender, a positive correlation was found between the GCOS-autonomy orientation score and the MK values in the left prefrontal regions transdiagnostically, especially among female patients with MDD, BD, and schizophrenia. Conclusions A similar association between intrinsic motivation and MK value in the left prefrontal cortex was suggested in patients with schizophrenia, MDD, and BD. The commonality of this association among these disorders might lead to the discovery of a new biomarker for psychiatric clinical research.

As important socializing agents of adolescents, parents may substantially influence adolescents\' physical activity but their roles in adolescents\' physical activity experience have not been sufficiently studied. Furthermore, there is a dearth of research on potential mechanisms through which parents may promote adolescents\' positive physical activity experience. Using a longitudinal sample of 464 urban and primarily Hispanic and African American adolescents, this study examined the impact of parental support on adolescents\' physical activity experience. Results of structural equation modeling showed that after controlling for adolescents\' gender, body mass index, and perceived overall health, parental support positively affected adolescents\' restructuring ability (i.e., ability to construct meaningful and satisfying activities during unpleasant experiences) and intrinsic motivation (i.e., activity participation driven by inherent interest and enjoyment) in physical activity, which in turn positively affected adolescents\' physical activity experience. No significant gender differences were found in these relationships. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

In clinical practice, junior doctors regularly receive supervision from consultants. Drawing on Basic Psychological Needs Theory, consultants\' supervision styles are likely to affect junior doctors\' intrinsic motivation differently in terms of psychological need frustration and psychological need satisfaction. To examine the effects of (de)motivating supervision styles, we conducted two experimental vignette studies among junior doctors. In Study 1 (N = 150, 73.3% female), we used a 2 (need support: high vs. low) x 2 (directiveness: high vs. low) between-subjects design and, in Study 2, a within-subjects design with the same factors (N = 46, 71.7% female). Both studies revealed a consistent positive effect of need-supportive supervision styles on psychological need satisfaction (+), need frustration (-), and intrinsic motivation (+). Particularly in Study 2, the main effect of need-supportive styles was strengthened by supervisor\'s directiveness. Moreover, in both studies, the effects of supervision styles on intrinsic motivation were explained through psychological need frustration and psychological need satisfaction. We discuss the implications of these findings for postgraduate clinical training.

UNASSIGNED: The Dutch Association for Occupational Medicine considers employee values to be an essential pillar in occupational medicine. The occupational physician should focus on what an employee finds valuable. However, it is unclear how occupational physicians comply with this policy and pay attention to employee values. The present study aims to fill this gap by mapping to what extent occupational physicians pay attention to employee values.
UNASSIGNED: We used an exploratory qualitative research method through in-depth interviews with 10 Dutch occupational physicians. Additionally, two non-participating observations were conducted.
UNASSIGNED: The results show that values remain mostly implicit and are applied intuitively or unconsciously but not explicitly. Hence, the ethical requirements of the Dutch Association for Occupational Medicine policy remain underexposed and under-executed. Multiple facets foster or impede a conversation about values. As far values were mentioned they were mainly extrinsic, social, and prestige-oriented. Intrinsic values were hardly mentioned. However, a few occupational physicians explicitly stated that they pay attention to values and reported that heeding to employee values contributes to better collaboration and decision-making with the employee. We argue that paying attention to intrinsic values may improve the overall work quality of occupational physicians and benefit employee well-being.

Physical activity and sports can be considered important sources of motivation for people with visual impairments; however limited attention has been given to blind peoples\' involvement in sports and to the intra-personal variables such as self-esteem and motivation that affect their sport participation. The purpose of the present study was a) to explore the relationship between self-esteem and intrinsic motivation in blind athletes, and b) to assess the levels of self-esteem and intrinsic motivation and identify differences in intrinsic motivation and self-esteem as a function of gender and sport type (individual-team sports). Participants were 78 (27 females) Greek blind athletes (30.29 ± 1.18 years of age) competing in team (N = 44) and individual (N = 34) sports. Participants completed the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory questionnaire (IMI) and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) questionnaire. The findings revealed that high values on self-esteem could predict blind athletes\' perceived competence (p = .001) and strengthen their intrinsic motivation while enabling them to regulate pressure and tension (p < .05). However, female athletes appeared to be more pressured than males (p < .05), and interestingly, team sport athletes scored higher in intrinsic motivation than individual sports athletes (p < .05). The findings provide useful insights regarding the role of self-esteem in blind athletes\' motivational profiles and draw attention to the role of perceived competence in blind athletes\' sporting experiences, emphasizing that team sport context may serve as a fertile ground for enhancing intrinsic motivation.