Geary's evolutionary approach in educational psychology differentiates between primary (low cognitive costs and motivational advantage) and secondary knowledge (high cognitive costs and no motivational benefit). Although these features have been well demonstrated in previous work, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate it, in a reasoning task, the present study varies (i) the content of the problems (primary knowledge vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdolescence is a strategic developmental stage in terms of preventing later difficulties and ensuring good mental health. Prophylactic interventions, which are conducted before the onset, prolongation, or worsening of difficulties, and aim to prevent or reduce symptoms or to promote wellbeing, therefore appear particularly appropriate for adolescents. However, existing prophylactic interventions conducted with adolescents have several weaknesses, including sparse theoretical frameworks, ambivalent evidence of their efficacy, and implementation and dissemination difficulties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is ample evidence that most children do not perform enough physical activity (PA). To address this major public health problem, the French government implemented 30 minutes of daily PA (DPA) at schools but did not provide any supplemental resources or concrete guidance. Considering both children's interest in video games and the need for teachers to complete their curriculum, the use of a learning-based exergame that combines PA and learning appears particularly relevant.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUniversity students are a vulnerable population, and many recent studies show that anxiety, depressive symptoms, and academic burnout have been on the increase since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings point to a need for interventions to reduce these difficulties. The purpose of the present study was to assess the effects of 2 formats of an innovative program on students' mental health (anxiety, depressive symptoms, and academic burnout), intolerance of uncertainty, learned helplessness, and learning.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Psychol (Amst)
July 2022
Primary knowledge is the knowledge for which our cognitive architecture has evolved so that we acquire it quickly and effortlessly. We are intrinsically motivated to process it. Secondary knowledge is the knowledge for which our cognitive architecture has not had enough time to evolve: it requires time, cognitive resources and is hardly motivating.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on university students, particulary on their mental health. However, little is yet known about how to prevent and/or reduce this impact. Prior to COVID-19, some studies have shown that online stress management programs were successful enough to improve students' mental health and stress adjustment strategies, suggesting that these interventions should be further developed during the pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Psychol
November 2016
In terms of sexual intercourse, the very last people we think about are our kin. Imagining inbreeding intercourse, whether it involves our closest kin or not, induces aversion in most people who invoke inbreeding depression problems or cultural considerations. Research has focused on the disgust felt when facing inbreeding intercourse between close kin but little is known about other responses.
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