Children that are expressing or are exposed to risk factors experience an elevated risk of developing later psychosocial maladjustment, such as conduct problems. However, all children exposed to risk do not express conduct problems, but develop normally. The aim of the present study was to examine potential protective factors among children exposed to risk, that separate children expressing conduct problem behavior from those who do not. In the study, preschool teachers and parents of 298 three- to five-year-old children participated. Risk factors of the individual, conduct problem behavior, and relationship oriented protective factors were examined. The results indicate that positive peer relationships are important for preschool children´s psychosocial development, while family factors, such as parent's disciplinary style, seem less important.

Background: South Asian girls have reported low levels of physical activity (PA) compared to other Canadian adolescents. Potential explanations include omissions in existing PA measures that don’t capture all types of PA, and factors discouraging PA in this group. Purpose: This study examined the quality and quantity of PA; compared PA participation using two self-report methods; and, examined psychosocial and cultural factors associated with PA in adolescent South Asian girls. Methods: 113 participants were recruited from community sources in Toronto. Data were collected using a structured electronic diary (3 weekdays; 2 weekend days) and a self-administered online questionnaire that included the Leisure Time Exercise questionnaire. Diaries were content analyzed and compared to PA reports in the questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses identified factors associated with PA. Results: Diaries revealed that when a range of PA types were captured, like walking activities and chores, PA levels were similar to representative data for Canadian youth. 92% of respondents reported at least 30 minutes of PA per day across their diary entries. However, 19% did not report any PA at the vigorous intensity level, and PA levels were lowest on weekends. Reports of PA in the diary and questionnaire were inconsistent, with considerably higher levels of PA reported in the questionnaire. Enrolment in physical education, enjoyment, control, fewer barriers, and social provisions were associated with greater PA. Conclusions: Physical activity levels were low, but results did not suggest that South Asian girls are more vulnerable to low levels of activity compared to other Canadian girls. Findings from the diary suggest that PA questionnaires would benefit from including a broader range of activity types with a variety of walking activities, and structured reflections to enhance data quality and minimize the potential for over-reporting. PA levels may be increased through mandatory physical education, curricula that emphasize how girls may engage in vigorous activities outside of classes, and changes to neighbourhood environments that would promote walking.

The long-term success and survival of corporations depends on the stewardship of its organizational actors. With a special focus on leadership, this dissertation explores the various relational and motivational factors that affect stewardship behaviors in organizations. The central goals of this research are to theoretically develop the construct of stewardship, explore a set of possible antecedents, and empirically test these determinants to generate a descriptive behavioral science model of stewardship in organizations. I conceptualize stewardship as an outcome of leadership behaviors that place the long-term best interests of the stockholders and other stakeholders ahead of a leader's self-interest. Building upon the themes presented in the stewardship literature, such as identification and intrinsic motivation, and drawing from other research streams to include factors such as interpersonal and institutional trust and moral courage, I put forth a behavioral leadership model of stewardship. Within this model, I argue that issues of psychological ownership and power in the organizational context are central to stewardship concerns. Additionally, I present two empirical tests of the stewardship framework; the first is a field survey study, designed to explore the naturally occurring relationships between relevant constructs in the organization, and the second is a controlled experiment, designed to refine the test of these relationships. Together, the results from these studies suggest that motivational support and moral courage are central antecedents of stewardship. Specifically, relational and motivational support directly influence moral courage; relational support also influences moral courage indirectly through its joint effect with contextual support on motivational support. Counter to predictions, contextual support is found to have a direct negative influence on moral courage. The argument is made that contextually supportive leadership behaviors that foster a sense of belonging and organizational identification in followers may be responsible for a type of moral social loafing. The implications of this phenomenon are discussed. I conclude by discussing the implications if this research at the individual, organizational, and societal level, putting forth future avenues of study for stewardship research. / Dissertation

Prospective memory also known as remembering to remember is the process of remembering to carry out future actions. The present study investigated age-related differences in the performance of two complex prospective memory tasks for 30 younger adults (M = 19.43, SD = 2.10) and 30 older adults (M = 66.87, SD = 3.25). The two tasks had the same constraints, but were framed within different contexts (i.e., taking medications or scheduling groups). Participants performed the tasks within a simulated week based on activities they perform as part of their weekly routine, and they were given 30 minutes to develop plans to help them remember the tasks. Older adults were as accurate as younger adults in developing their plans for both tasks, but made significantly more errors in carrying out the prospective tasks. Planning style was not directly predictive of performance for the group task. However, age-related differences in performance for the medication task were related to planning style such that age-related declines in performance were observed for older adults who used a planning style that did not provide adequate memory support (i.e., list layout with time cues). Moreover, participants of all ages with lower levels of planning experience were more likely to select this ineffective planning style. These findings provide evidence that age-related differences in prospective memory can be ameliorated through the use of a familiar task and the opportunity to develop plans to remember the task. However, if participants develop an ineffective plan they will show performance decrements.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-07, Section: B, page: 4115. Advisers: Mary Ann Smith; Benoit de Crombrugghe. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--York University, 2000. Graduate Programme in Biology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 153-184). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ67888.

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