Monique Crane

Motion streaks improve motion detection

A number of studies were conducted to determine whether motion-streaks assist motion extraction, and whether a purely motion-based model could account for any observed facilitation. A 3-frame global-motion stimulus was used. Signal dots were manipulated in order to control the strength of the motion-streak. In the long-streak condition, the same dots carried the global-motion signal over successive motion frames, while in the short-streak condition, different dots carried the signal over successive frames. Noise dots always moved in different directions over successive frames. While lower thresholds in the long-streak condition could be explain by motion-streak facilitation, it could also be explained in terms of interactions purely within the motion system. Specifically, by excitatory feed-forward connections between neighbouring local-motion units tuned to the same or similar directions of motion. In order to test these two models, speed and contrast were varied. If lower thresholds are due to motion streaks (form input to motion) then maximum facilitation should occur at high speeds (no streak at low speeds) and high contrast (due to reduced streak magnitude and the low contrast sensitivity of the form cells that extract the motion-streak). Lower thresholds were obtained for the long-streak condition but only at high speeds and this facilitation was lost, or at least greatly reduced, at low (5%) contrast. These results support the notion that detection thresholds were facilitated by a motion-streak system.

Effective and ineffective coping strategies in a low-autonomy work environment.

The authors examined the effectiveness of different coping strategies in buffering the negative effects of uncontrollable stressors and predicting mental health symptoms in a low-autonomy work environment using a longitudinal design. Soldiers in training indicated the extent to which they engaged in various coping strategies to deal with stressors related to the training environment at 4 different points in time. Factor analyses of soldiers in 2 different countries (i.e., United States and Australia) yielded 5 coping dimensions: active coping, acceptance of demands, seeking social support, humor, and denial/self-criticism. Among U.S. soldiers in basic training, acceptance of demands and denial/self-criticism interacted with the magnitude of basic-training stressors to predict mental health symptoms (depression and anxiety) at 3 different points during training while controlling for symptoms at the immediate prior time period. Acceptance buffered soldiers from the negative effects of the stressors, whereas denial/self-criticism exacerbated the effects of the stressors. The results of LGC models also indicated that the slopes of acceptance and active coping were negatively related to the slope of mental health symptoms across training, whereas the slope for denial/self-criticism was positively related to the slope of symptoms. Active coping was less predictive of functioning in the face of stressors and in the prediction of symptoms over time. The results demonstrated that in a low-autonomy occupational setting, acceptance coping was more effective in facilitating good mental health outcomes compared with other coping strategies considered important in prior research (e.g., active coping).

Trait perfectionism strengthens the negative effects of moral stressors occurring in veterinary practice.

OBJECTIVE Moral challenges are a unique class of workplace stressor where behaviours violate ones personal moral beliefs regarding how things should be done or ones perceived obligations. Morally challenging stressors exist in many workplaces and at times can transform into marked emotional distress, referred to as moral distress. In this study we investigated the degree to which morally significant stressors are related to psychological distress and resilience in a sample of Australian veterinarians. Further, we explored the role of trait perfectionism in strengthening the relationship between exposure to morally significant stressors and psychological distress. Trait perfectionism is the tendency to have very high and rigid standards for the self and/or others and is often implicated in the experience of psychological distress. METHODS A cross-sectional online survey sampled 540 Australian-registered veterinarians (64.2% female), ranging in age from 23 to 74 years. RESULTS Although morally significant stressors were related to increases in milder expressions of distress, they did not appear to be associated with more severe decrements in psychological wellbeing. Rather, it was the combination of these triggering stressor events and trait perfectionism that appeared to create the vulnerability to moral stressors. CONCLUSION The findings suggest that trait perfectionism is an individual difference that enhances vulnerability to the risk of greater distress in response to morally challenging events in veterinary practice. The implications of these findings and directions for further research are discussed.

The distinct role of performing euthanasia on depression and suicide in veterinarians

Veterinarians are more likely to experience mood disorders and suicide than other occupational groups (Fritschi, Morrison, Shirangi & Day, 2009; Platt, Hawton, Simkin, & Mellanby, 2010). The performance of euthanasia has been implicated as contributing determinately to the prevalence of suicide risk and psychological distress in veterinarians (Bartram & Baldwin, 2008, 2010). In contrast, the application of psychological approaches would suggest a possible protective role for euthanasia administration. This paper is the first to investigate the association between euthanasia-administration frequency and depressed mood and suicide risk. A cross-sectional survey sampled 540 Australia-registered veterinarians (63.8% women), ranging in age from 23 to 74. Results revealed that the administration of objectionable euthanasia (i.e., euthanasia that the veterinarian disagreed with) was not related to our mental health variables. In contrast, overall euthanasia frequency had a weak positive linear relationship with depression. Moreover, overall euthanasia frequency moderated the impact of depression on suicide risk. The nature of this moderation suggested that average frequency per week of performing euthanasia attenuated the relationship between depressed mood and suicide risk. The implications of these findings and directions for further research are discussed.

Positive Affect Is Associated With Reduced Fixation in a Realistic Medical Simulation

Objective: This study extends previous research by exploring the association between mood states (i.e., positive and negative affect) and fixation in practicing anesthetists using a realistic medical simulation. Background: The impact of practitioner emotional states on fixation is a neglected area of research. Emerging evidence is demonstrating the role of positive affect in facilitating problem solving and innovation, with demonstrated implications for practitioner fixation. Method: Twelve practicing anesthetists (4 females; Mage= 39 years; SD = 6.71) were involved in a medical simulation. Prior to the simulation, practitioners rated the frequency they had experienced various positive and negative emotions in the previous three days. During the simulation, the patient deteriorated rapidly, and anesthetists were observed for their degree of fixation. After the simulation, practitioners indicated the frequency of these same emotions during the simulation. Results: Nonparametric correlations were used to explore the independent relationships between positive and negative affect and the behavioral measures. Only positive affect impacted the likelihood of fixation. Anesthetists who reported more frequent recent positive affect in the three days prior to the simulation and during the simulation tended to be less fixated as judged by independent raters, identified a decline in patient oxygen saturation more quickly, and more rapidly implemented the necessary intervention (surgical cricothyroidotomy). Conclusion: These findings have some real-world implications for positive affect in patient safety. Application: This research has broad implications for professions where fixation may impair practice. This research suggests that professional training should teach practitioners to identify their emotions and understand the role of these emotions in fixation.

The emergence of team resilience: A multilevel conceptual model of facilitating factors

The emergence of team resilience: A multilevel conceptual model of facilitating factors Daniel F. Gucciardi*, Monique Crane, Nikos Ntoumanis, Sharon K. Parker, Cecilie Thøgersen-Ntoumani, Kagan J. Ducker, Peter Peeling, Michael T. Chapman, Eleanor Quested and Philip Temby School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia School of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia School of Psychology, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia Curtin Business School, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia Land Division, Defence Science and Technology Group, Edinburgh, South Australia, Australia

Antecedents of achievement emotions: mixed-device assessment with Italian and Australian university students

We focused on cross-cultural comparisons on achievement emotions, as those emotions associated to learning activities or outcomes. An advantageous way to investigate them is using on-line assessment tools, enabling users to gather data in economic ways. We involved 206 Italian and Australian first-year university students, who were administered an on-line questionnaire measuring challenge and threat appraisals, two emotion regulation strategies, and ten achievement emotions. The results indicated cross-cultural differences for threat, reappraisal, positive deactivating, negative activating, and negative deactivating emotions. Path analyses showed that challenge and threat appraisals, and reappraisal and suppression strategies, coherently predicted achievement emotions, with some exceptions, invariantly across groups. These findings confirm the usefulness of using on-line assessment, and inform on cross-cultural comparisons on achievement emotions, documenting differences in their mean levels, but supporting the universality of the relationships between antecedents and subsequent emotions.

New research examining the effect of euthanasia on the mental health of veterinarians.

Associate Editors S Bailey: Equine; Melbourne, VIC D Beggs: Cattle and sheep; Warrnambool, VIC C Bellenger: Small animal surgery; Sydney, NSW G Browning: Microbiology and molecular biology; Melbourne, VIC B Carmel: Wildlife, zoos, unusual and exotic pets; Melbourne, VIC R Cutler: Pig medicine and production; Ocean Grove, VIC A Dart: Equine surgery; Sydney, NSW G Hosgood: Small animal surgery, epidemiology; Murdoch, WA D Kennedy: Epidemiology; Orange, NSW J Larsen: Sheep and parasitology; Melbourne, VIC R Nicoll: Imaging and radiology; Sydney, NSW N Sangster: Parasitology and epidemiology; Wagga Wagga, NSW V Studdert: Small animal medicine; Melbourne, VIC C Wilks: Microbiology and virology; Melbourne, VIC

Team resilience: A scoping review of conceptual and empirical work

ABSTRACT The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the literature on team resilience to gain insight into current thinking regarding its definition and conceptualisation, and to identify how researchers have operationalised and measured this concept. We conducted a systematic scoping review using the 5-phase approach proposed by Arksey and O’Malley. A total of seven databases were searched, followed by a citation search of eligible papers via Google Scholar. Of the 275 articles identified via the search process, 27 papers were deemed eligible for review. Several key findings regarding the literature on team resilience were observed: (i) definitions varied in terms of content (e.g. input or process), breadth (e.g. unidimensional versus multidimensional), and quality (e.g. essential and necessary attributes of key components); (ii) there was a predominance of single-level conceptualisations of team resilience; and (iii) there has been a reliance on cross-sectional research designs in empirical studies, which is incongruent with the dynamic nature of this concept. Key recommendations from this scoping review focus on definitional, theoretical, and methodological issues.

Cue Utilization, Perceptions, and Experience in the Interpretation of Weather Radar Returns

This study was designed to examine the role of cue utilization, perceptions, and measures of operational experience in the interpretation of a scenario involving the interpretation of weather radar returns. A total of 47 qualified pilots completed EXPERTise 2.0, an online assessment of cue utilization in the context of weather radar systems. They also completed a scenario involving the interpretation of weather radar returns which required an assessment as to whether they could continue the flight safely in the absence of a change in track or altitude. Consistent with research in other domains, the results revealed a relationship between performance and cue utilization. No relationships were evident on the basis of flight experience nor the inclination to use or trust weather radar systems. The results provide the basis for a tool that might be employed to assess pilots’ cue utilization, thereby enabling more targeted approaches to pilot training and weather radar system design.