PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Competitive Behavior”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 451 records · Page 25Linked to original sources

Assessment of behavioral risk for coronary disease by voice characteristics.

Behavior characterization is increasingly used and studied in the pathogenesis and management of coronary disease. A specific behavior pattern called Type A has been found to be independently associated with fatal and nonfatal coronary disease. The assessment of Type A is made without quantitative guidelines based on verbal and nonverbal behaviors in a standardized interview. This study has attempted to make this classification solely on the basis of quantifiable verbal behaviors. Two naive persons were trained to code speech behaviors from tape recorded behavior pattern interviews on which Type A had previously been assessed. Intercoder and intracoder reliability was acceptable. Using regression analysis 87% of the interviews were classified in agreement with the previous, standard assessment. Volume of voice and speed of speech were found to make the greatest predictive contribution. Other verbal characteristics including plosiveness were also important. It is concluded that Type A can be validly and repeatably measured by verbal behaviors in the standardized interview.

Aggression↗

When does "economic man" dominate social behavior?

The canonical model in economics considers people to be rational and self-regarding. However, much evidence challenges this view, raising the question of when "Economic Man" dominates the outcome of social interactions, and when bounded rationality or other-regarding preferences dominate. Here we show that strategic incentives are the key to answering this question. A minority of self-regarding individuals can trigger a "noncooperative" aggregate outcome if their behavior generates incentives for the majority of other-regarding individuals to mimic the minority's behavior. Likewise, a minority of other-regarding individuals can generate a "cooperative" aggregate outcome if their behavior generates incentives for a majority of self-regarding people to behave cooperatively. Similarly, in strategic games, aggregate outcomes can be either far from or close to Nash equilibrium if players with high degrees of strategic thinking mimic or erase the effects of others who do very little strategic thinking. Recently developed theories of other-regarding preferences and bounded rationality explain these findings and provide better predictions of actual aggregate behavior than does traditional economic theory.

Competitive Behavior↗

The effects of cooperatively and competitively structured learning enironments on inter- and intrapersonal behavior.

This study examines the effects of cooperative versus competitive goal structures on the subsequent intra- and interpersonal behavior of fourth-grade children. 2 situational variables were operating in each situation: first, the variable of working on a project as a group versus as an individual; and second, the variable of public reward. Results indicate that the effects of competitively structured environments differ for winners and nonwinners and for boys and girls. Girls, both winners and nonwinners, adopt the evaluations of the experimenter and generalize worthiness or deservedness to other situations as evidenced by their prize giving to self and others. After failure to win, girls also refrain from taking a toy away from the winner. After failure to win, boys behave competitively by taking a toy away from the winner and rewarding self more relative to others. The data also suggest that boys may not have experienced cooperative winning as success.

Achievement↗

Social competition in rats: cell proliferation and behavior.

Behavioral and physiological changes were studied following prolonged exposure to social competition in pairs of non-food-deprived rats competing daily for a limited supply of graham cracker crumbs. Stable dominant-subordinate relationships developed in most pairs, as measured by feeding time, which were maintained over a 5-6-week study period. In other behavioral tests, subordinates demonstrated a decreased latency to immobility in the forced swim test compared with dominants, but no difference in locomotor activity. Subordinates had increased bladder size, decreased adrenal gland size, and a 35% reduction of hippocampus cell proliferation compared with the dominant member. Therefore, prolonged social competition, based on restricted access to palatable substances, produced hierarchies among individuals that were associated with differences in behavior, physiology and hippocampal cell proliferation.

Adrenal Glands↗

Plasma catecholamine response of coronary-prone subjects (type A) to a specific challenge.

Plasma norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) were assayed in 15 men prone to develop coronary heart disease (type-A behavior pattern) and in 15 coronary-disease-resistant men (type-B behavior pattern) under resting, noncompetitive conditions and also immediately before, during, and after participation in a nonphysical competitive struggle. The average concentration of catecholamines was virtually the same in both groups under resting conditions. Under competitive conditions the NE concentration of the coronary-susceptible group rose an average of 30%, while that of the resistant group remained essentially unchanged. E concentration remained unchanged in both groups.

Competitive Behavior↗

Caenorhabditis elegans: lectin-mediated modification of chemotaxis.

Binding of the lectins concanavalin A (Con A) and limulin to Caenorhabditis elegans wild type resulted in consistent, reproducible, partial inhibition of chemoattraction to sterile filtrates of Escherichia coli. Normal chemotaxis resumed within 8 hr following treatment with these lectins. Competitive displacement of Con A or limulin by flooding with the specific sugars resulted in rapid resumption of normal chemotactic behavior. The experimental protocol for Con A applied to three age groups (newly hatched larvae, young adults, and old adults) showed the same response for all groups tested. Two mutant C. elegans with morphological defects in the cephalic chemosensilla showed the same inhibition of chemotactic response after exposure to Con A, and rapidly resumed normal behavior after competitive displacement of the lectin. Limulin and Con A did not affect nematode growth, development, or longevity, demonstrating that the observed results were not attributable to toxic effects. These results and other experimental evidence support the premise that behavioral modification was caused by functional impairments caused by Con A and limulin to chemoreceptors located on sensory dendrites of the cephalic sensilla.

Animals↗

Eating disorders in athletes: a review of the literature.

Over the last two decades an increasing amount of research has begun to examine the issue of eating disorders in athletes. While a number of studies in this area have been published, the results have not been able to clarify the nature of the relationship between athletic involvement and eating problems. This review critically evaluates existing studies of eating disorders in athletes, highlighting various methodological limitations. Studies are grouped under three main headings: uncontrolled studies; controlled studies; and studies comparing athletes with different body type requirements. A fourth section of the paper evaluates studies which have addressed the issue of gender differences in eating disorders among athletes. Suggestions are made for guidelines that will improve future research in this area.

Adolescent↗

Stickleback fights: why do winners win? Influence of metabolic and morphometric parameters.

Pairs of reproductively mature male three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) were introduced into unfamiliar aquaria and observed until one male became dominant. Skin carotenoid content, morphometric indexes, and metabolic capacities of the axial and pectoral muscles were examined to establish whether morphological or physiological parameters differentiated winners and losers. Stickleback that initiated fights typically won. Quick initiation led to quick victory. Overall, winners and losers differed in few morphological or metabolic characteristics, but these properties and the differences between these attributes for losers and winners of specific fights were linked with initiation time and fight duration. Morphometric indexes of losers were the primary determinants of initiation time and fight duration, whereas for winners muscle metabolic capacities were linked to these fight characteristics. The greater the hepatosomatic index (HSI) of losers, the longer the fight initiation times. Similarly, losers with high HSI and carotenoid levels resisted defeat longer. In winners, initiation time decreased as axial muscle phosphofructokinase levels increased and citrate synthase levels decreased, whereas the metabolic capacities of the pectoral muscle were linked with time to achieve victory. When losers had greater HSI values than the winners of a specific fight, fight initiation was delayed and fights lasted longer. When losers had higher carotenoid levels than winners, fights also lasted longer. On the other hand, when losers had more visceral fat (fat body mass over somatic mass) than winners, both initiation time and combat duration were reduced. These results suggest that male stickleback assess their physiological status and that of their opponents, in particular the HSI, and adjust their combat strategies accordingly.

Agonistic Behavior↗

Menstrual function and eating behavior in female recreational weight lifters and competitive body builders.

A group of 103 female weight lifters (WL) and 92 control (C) women answered a survey concerning eating behavior and attitudes (including the Eating Disorder Inventory) and menstrual function. The incidence of menstrual dysfunction, defined as oligomenorrhea plus amenorrhea, was significantly higher for the WL (30%) than for the C (13%) not on contraceptive pills. Only 2% of the women had amenorrhea. The incidence of dysfunction was highest for the subset of 12 WL who had competed in at least one body building competition (COMP); 86% of the COMP not on birth control pills had menstrual dysfunction (P less than 0.05). More WL than C reported missing at least one menstrual period during the last year (P = 0.06). WL scored significantly higher than C on the Drive for Thinness subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI). Fifteen percent of the WL and 9% of the C achieved the criteria on this subscale for being weight preoccupied (P greater than 0.05). Significantly more WL than C responded that they were terrified of becoming fat (WL 56%, C 38%), were obsessed with food (WL 47%, C 30%), used laxatives for weight control (WL 14%, C 1%), and claimed that they had been anorexic in the past (WL 17%, C 5%). Examination of the answers of COMP revealed several items that were significantly different from the remainder of the WL. For example, 42% used to be anorexic, 67% were terrified of becoming fat, and 50% experienced uncontrollable urges to eat.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adipose Tissue↗

Measurement of Type A behavior in preschoolers.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Matthews Youth Test of Health (MYTH) and its subscales of Hostility, Competitiveness, Impatience, and Leadership when used with preschoolers. The MYTH was completed by 13 teachers on 155 preschool children in a cross-sectional study and on sub-samples of this original group who were followed during a 2-year longitudinal study. These results were used to investigate internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the MYTH. Construct validity was evaluated by factor analysis as well as by examining the relationship of the MYTH scale and its subscales to cardiovascular reactivity, self-esteem, and locus of control. Construct validity was further assessed by testing for a predicted difference between boys and girls on the MYTH.

Blood Pressure↗

Children's verbalizations and cheating behavior during game playing: the role of sociometric status, aggression, and gender.

The first goal of this study was to investigate sociometric status, aggression, and gender differences in children's verbalizations and cheating behavior during game playing using a fine-grained observational coding system. The second goal was to control for the effects of differential peer treatment and bias on children's behavior by observing children in a standardized procedure with unfamiliar peer confederates. Participants were 111 second-grade African American children, half average and half rejected sociometric status, half aggressive and half nonaggressive based on peer nominations, and half boys and half girls. Rejected children engaged in more cheating behavior and made more negative and argumentative verbalizations than average status children. Boys made more negative and argumentative verbalizations than girls. Aggressive children did not differ from nonaggressive children, in terms of either verbalizations or cheating behavior.

Black or African American↗