Gaëtan F. Losier

A Motivational Model of Leisure Participation in the Elderly

We developed a motivational model of leisure participation to examine the factors that may encourage involvement by the elderly in leisure activities. This model posits that opportunities and constraints determine motivation to participate, which in turn predicts satisfaction. Satisfaction is expected to lead to participation. In a study testing the proposed model, 102 elderly Canadians answered a questionnaire assessing the variables in the model. As predicted, results of a path analysis supported the proposed motivational model and accounted for 32% of the variance in the elderlys leisure participation. These results are discussed in the light of self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985).

The temporal relationship between perceived competence and self-determined motivation.

Although perceived competence is generally considered a determinant of motivation, little research has actually studied the relation between the two constructs on a longitudinal basis and in natural settings. This was the purpose of the present study. Canadian male adolescent hockey players (N = 64) in their first year at an elite level completed a questionnaire 2 weeks into the hockey season (T1) and at the end of the regular season (T2), assessing perceived competence and self-determined motivation at both times. The results partially support the hypothesis that, over time, perceived competence determines motivation (rather than the reverse) but do not exclude the possibility that, with time, motivation may also influence perceptions of competence.

Intrinsic Versus Identified Regulation in Distinct Political Campaigns: The Consequences of Following Politics for Pleasure Versus Personal Meaningfulness

Intrinsic and identified regulation were examined in the context of two Canadian political campaigns. It was anticipated that identification (but not intrinsic motivation) would lead to positive outcomes when one is involved in an activity that is not necessarily fun but self-relevant, such as following a personally valued political event. Questionnaires were completed by 216 college students 1 week before and 1 week after the 1995 New Brunswick election and Quebec referendum. As predicted, results revealed that identification (but not intrinsic motivation) was significantly positively associated with the personal relevance of the vote, pleasant emotions about the vote outcome, and reported voting. Surprisingly, in the highly emotional Quebec referendum, intrinsic motivation was significantly associated with experiencing less pleasant emotions about a favorable vote outcome. The personal relevance of the campaign also mediated the process by which identification predicted to positive outcomes.

Seeking Social Connectedness: Interdependent Self-Construal and Impression Formation Using Photographic Cues of Social Connectedness

ABSTRACT Impression formation research has traditionally focused on either the characteristics of the target or of the participant, failing to examine their interplay. In the present study, we explored the role of interdependent self-construal on ratings of others who are portrayed as alone or connected. We hypothesized that participants with an interdependent view of the self would prefer others who are portrayed as socially connected, while the opposite would be true for participants low on interdependence. Results showed that college students high on interdependence rated a university professor photographed with another person relatively more positively than a professor photographed alone. This pattern was reversed for participants low on interdependence.