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 577 records · Page 32Linked to original sources

PubMed1993

[Psychological and behavior characteristics predicting blood pressure reactivity to mental stress].

This study was conducted with 58 subjects (31 males and 27 females): a sample of 37 normotensives (NT) (mean age 36 +/- 11) and a sample of 21 hypertensives (HT) without any antihypertensive medication (mean age 46 +/- 9). Cardiovascular reactivity was measured during a sequence of 3 computer assisted mental stress tasks (visual-motor tasks, maze test). Before and following the stress tasks the subjects were asked to respond on the same computer to psychological test and questionnaires measuring anxiety, depression (H.A.D. inventory) type A behavior (impatience, competition and drive for success; Bortner's scale), locus of control (attribution of success or failure to internal or external factors; Levenson's scale), and coping mechanisms used in response to everyday life stresses (Rosenzweig Picture Frustration Test, adapted by S. Consoli and E. Albert). Measurements of systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were obtained automatically every minute during the entire computer session with a Colin Press-Mate BP 8800 sphygmomanometer. Pressure reactivity (PR) was defined as the relative difference between BP measured during mental stress and BP measured during non-stress condition (the reference period). Our hypotheses were that PR would be greater in HT than in NT, and that PR would be correlated with various psychological and behavioral characteristics. During the stress session, SBP in NT increased from 119.8 to 123.7 mmHg (p < 0.001) and in HT from 147.4 to 152 mmHg (p < 0.05): there was no significant difference between the two samples but in HT, SBP elevation persisted after the stress session, contrary to the NT, whose SBP quickly decreased to the reference values.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2003

Spatial mechanisms for coexistence of species sharing a common natural enemy.

We examine the conditions under which spatial structure can mediate coexistence of apparent competitors. We use a spatially explicit, host-parasitoid metapopulation model incorporating local dynamics of Nicholson-Bailey type and global dispersal. Depending on the model parameters, the resulting system displays a plethora of asynchronous dynamical behaviors for which permanent or transient coexistence is observed. We identify a number of spatially mediated tradeoffs which apparent competitors can utilize and demonstrate that the dynamics of spatial coexistence can typically be understood from consideration of two and three patch systems. The phase relationships of species abundances are different for our model than for some other mechanisms of spatial coexistence. We discuss the implications of our findings relative to issues of community organization and biological conservation.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Distribution of alpha 2-adrenergic receptors in the brain of the Japanese quail as determined by quantitative autoradiography: implications for the control of sexually dimorphic reproductive processes.

With the use of [3H]p-aminoclonidine (PAC), alpha 2-adrenergic binding sites were mapped in the brain of the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). The sites were labeled with the use of in vitro quantitative autoradiography. Special attention was given to areas implicated in the control of sexually dimorphic reproductive processes including sexual behavior. Preliminary competition experiments found that [3H]PAC binding on tissue sections exhibited a pharmacology appropriate to the alpha 2 receptor. Binding sites were found to be heterogeneously distributed throughout the brain. Some of the highest levels of specific binding were found in several areas regulating reproductive function such as the preoptic area, the supraoptic nucleus, the infundibulum, and the medial mammillary nucleus of the infundibulum. [3H]PAC labeled precisely the morphologically dimorphic preoptic medial nucleus but no sexual dimorphism in density of receptor binding was identified. However, dimorphism in density of receptor binding was identified in two areas: the medial mammillary nucleus and the mesencephalic intercollicular nucleus. The former area appears to be involved in the regulation of gonadotrophin secretion and the latter area has been implicated in the control of vocal behavior. These neurochemical dimorphisms may contribute to the regulation of two sexually dimorphic reproductive processes, gonadotropin secretion and courtship vocalizations.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗

PubMed1976

Jóge Kankei: a key concept for an understanding of Japanese-American achievement.

Jóge Kankei, or an emphasis on superior-inferior relationships, refers to the pervasive concern with ranking in Japanese society. This concept is associated with achievement motivation in that it is related to socialization practices that create in the individual a heightened sensitivity to the opinions of significant others. In this paper, the pervasive concern with ranking and the sensitivity to the opinions of others is first used as a conceptual tool to explain the alleged paradoxical behavior of the Japanese at various times in their history, and is then used as the basis of a study aimed at understanding the rapid acculturation of the Japanese Americans. The study is based upon interviews with 234 Issei (first generation, born in Japan), 241 Nisei (second generation, born of Issei parents), and 372 Sansei (third generation, born of Nisei parents). Additionally, these three groups were administered several tests and questionnaires designed to measure acculturation and the retention of Japanese values.

Acculturation↗

PubMed1986

Type A, test performance and salivary cortisol.

Forty first year medical students, previously screened for the presence or absence of the Type A behavior pattern, collected saliva samples for four days leading up to the first major examination of their medical school course. It was observed that the day of the examination produced substantially different patterns of salivary cortisol concentrations for Type A and non-A subjects, depending on their level of performance. The Type A subjects who scored above the median on the examination showed higher concentrations of salivary cortisol than Type A subjects who scored below the median. The reverse of this pattern was found for non-A subjects. Visual analog scale ratings of subjective stress showed no behavior pattern effects and a very low correlation with the salivary cortisol concentrations. The results support the view that the occurrence of physiological arousal associated with the Type A behaviour pattern is intermittent and dependent on situational factors such as expectation of success and actual success. This is consistent with conceptualizing the Type A pattern as a strategy for resource allocation which may be elective, rather then the behavioural manifestation of an automatic physical response to stress.

Achievement↗

PubMed2006

Trait modulation of alcohol-induced laboratory aggression.

Modest alcohol and aggressive trait effects on laboratory-induced aggression among men have been reported with some consistency in the literature. Relationships between aggressive personality traits and laboratory-induced aggression appear to become less consistent under the influence of alcohol. Several research teams have found suggestions that the effects of alcohol on laboratory aggression may be reduced or even reversed among individuals with aggressive personality traits. This study examined the effects of alcohol on the aggressive responding on the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (PSAP) of eight undergraduate men who generated evidence on the Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II) of sadistic-aggressive personality disorder features. This sample was compared with a group of 18 undergraduate male peers without MCMI-II elevations described in a previous study. Neither alcohol ingestion (0.8 ml/kg) nor aggressive personality traits predicted laboratory behavior in isolation, but alcohol was found to selectively attenuate (d = 0.75) PSAP responding for the sadistic-aggressive as opposed to the control subjects (i.e., a significant aggressive trait by alcohol interaction). The possible value of this counterintuitive response tendency in identifying men at elevated risk for alcohol-related aggression was discussed. Large, immediate reductions in laboratory-based aggressive responding while under the influence of alcohol might provide a paradoxical high risk indicator that has not been previously identified.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Competitive adsorption of bacteriophage T4 lysozyme stability variants at hydrophilic glass surfaces.

The competitive adsorption behavior exhibited by the wild-type T4 lysozyme and two of its structural stability variants was studied by 125I radioisotope labeling. The mutant lysozymes were produced by substitution of the isoleucine residue at position 3 in the wild type with a tryptophan residue, resulting in a protein with lower structural stability, or with a cysteine residue, resulting in a protein with higher structural stability. Adsorption kinetics were recorded for binary protein mixtures in contact with a clean glass surface, in which one variant had been radiolabeled and the other had not. All pair permutations were tested. The kinetic data show that in instances in which exchange reactions between adsorbed protein and dissolved protein occur, they occur such that more stable variants are removed from the surface by less stable variants. The less stable proteins thus exhibited an advantage in competitive adsorption over the more stable proteins, in these tests.

Adsorption↗

PubMed1988

The effects of hospital competition and the Medicare PPS program on hospital cost behavior in California.

Previous studies of hospital competition have found that greater competition leads to higher hospital costs. In this paper we report how the behavior of California's hospitals has changed since the introduction of programs intended to contain the rate of increase of hospital costs. Using data that cover the period preceding and following the introduction of these programs, we found that hospitals in more competitive markets have lowered their costs significantly.

California↗

PubMed1980

Sensory processing, cardiovascular reactivity, and the Type A coronary-prone behavior pattern.

This study investigated the hypothesis that two modes of sensory processing known to elicit integrated patterns of cardiovascular reactivity will arouse exaggerated responses in Type A coronary-prone individuals. 15 Type A and 10 Type B male college students performed on two tasks calling for sensory intake and sensory rejection, respectively, while being monitored for heart rate, blood pressure, and vasomotor response. Contrary to prediction, the tasks failed to differentiate the groups, although each task appeared to elicit the expected pattern of cardiovascular response across groups. It is suggested that sensory processing tasks per se may be insufficiently challenging to elicit the characteristic hyperresponsivity of the Type A.

Attention↗

PubMed2002

Game theoretic approaches to operating room management.

All interactions between people can be considered games with rules and outcomes. However, modern business practices demand that the players in the game go beyond traditional game theory and look at new ways to improve the outcome of the game. Choosing the right strategy is important to a player's success. A new business strategy, "co-opetition," can be used to increase the value of the game ("create a bigger pie") through cooperative behavior, whereas competition is used to divided the "pie." By looking at how the players adopt simultaneous roles such as complementor and competitor the stakeholders in the operating room (managers, surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nursing staff) can apply the principles of co-opetition to improve the overall success of their facility. Such stakeholders can utilize knowledge of how populations act in games to enhance cooperative play. Adopting such a perspective may lead to increases in the satisfaction and morale of those involved with the operating rooms. Increased morale should increase productivity and staff retention and reduce recruiting needs.

Cooperative Behavior↗

PubMed2003

Evolved mechanisms in depression: the role and interaction of attachment and social rank in depression.

Evolved mechanisms underpinning attachment and social rank behavior may be the basis for some forms of major depression, especially those associated with chronic stress. We note the heterogeneity of depression, but suggest that some of its core symptoms, such as behavioral withdrawal, low self-esteem and anhedonia, may have evolved in order to regulate behavior and mood and convey sensitivity to threats and safety. Focusing on the evolved mental mechanisms for attachment and social rank helps to make sense of (1) depression's common early vulnerability factors (e.g., attachment disruptions, neglect and abuse), (2) the triggering events (e.g., loss of close relationships, being defeated and/or trapped in low socially rewarding or hostile environments), and (3) the psychological preoccupations of depressed people (e.g., sense of unlovableness, self as inferior and a failure). This focus offers clues as to how these two systems interact and on how to intervene.

Achievement↗

PubMed2004

Cheating behaviors of dental students.

There has always been some degree of cheating in educational institutions. Many students who have difficulty retaining information, or who are just too lazy to work, turn to cheating as an easy way to obtain high marks. The aims of this study were to investigate undergraduate dental students' attitudes about the seriousness of thirteen cheating behaviors and to determine the students' attitudes about justification for cheating. A multiple choice questionnaire was distributed to 200 undergraduate dental students at the Faculty of Dentistry of the Jordan University of Science and Technology in the second through the fifth year of the curriculum in order to rate thirteen cheating behaviors and report their degree of satisfaction with studying dentistry. The response rate was 100 percent. Nine out of the thirteen cheating behaviors were considered as serious by about 85 percent of students. This majority also reported that they enjoyed studying dentistry compared to 10 percent who liked dentistry and 5 percent who disliked dentistry. Those 85 percent reported that they considered themselves to be ethical, while 10 percent selected somewhat ethical and 5 percent selected not ethical. This study revealed the importance of the issue of cheating and how it is evaluated by dental students who may benefit from educational programs as part of their curriculum.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Toward an evolutionary forensic psychology.

Most theories of crime have not explored intensively biological and especially evolutionary explanations for criminal behavior. Ellis presents a valuable new perspective that proposes that attention to physiological mechanisms shaped by evolutionary forces can provide insights into the causes of crime and sex differences in the patterns of crime. We discuss other theories and research relevant to Ellis' theory. We also propose that an evolutionary psychological perspective of crime will help to invigorate research and lead to a better understanding of criminality. An integrated evolutionary forensic psychology will help to explain sources of conflict between individuals, situations in which conflict leads to victimization, and victim defenses and coping mechanisms.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2002

Comparative approaches in evolutionary psychology: molecular neuroscience meets the mind.

Evolutionary psychologists often overlook a wealth of information existing between the proximate genotypic level and the ultimate phenotypic level. This commonly ignored level of biological organization is the ongoing activity of neurobiological systems. In this paper, we extend our previous arguments concerning strategic weaknesses of evolutionary psychology by advocating a foundational view that focuses on similarities in brain, behavior, and various basic psychological features across mammalian species. Such an approach offers the potential to link the emerging discipline of evolutionary psychology to its parent scientific disciplines such as biochemistry, physiology, molecular genetics, developmental biology and the neuroscientific analysis of animal behavior. We detail an example of this through our impending work using gene microarray technology to characterize gene expression patterns in rats during aggressive and playful social interactions. Through a focus on functional homologies and the experimental analysis of conserved, subcortical emotional and motivational brain systems, neuroevolutionary psychobiology can reveal ancient features of the human mind that are still shared with other animals. Claims regarding evolved, uniquely human, psychological constructs should be constrained by the rigorous evidentiary standards that are routine in other sciences.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1989

Gender differences in coaching philosophy: the case of female basketball teams.

With the advent of Title IX, the proportion of female participants in interscholastic sport has risen sharply while the proportion of female coaches has dropped precipitously. This paper seeks to determine whether there are any differences in coaching philosophy by gender. Questionnaires were sent to the coaches of 600 high school girls' basketball teams selected randomly from the 48 contiguous states. There were 250 usable ones returned for a response rate of 42%. The questionnaires included items designed to assess the attitudes and behaviors of coaches in five areas of coaching philosophy: (1) the coach's role in the overall development of athletes; (2) conditions believed essential to maximize team performance; (3) team rules used; (4) use of sports aphorisms; and (5) expectations of athletes. Summing the findings, we found that in 83 of the 100 comparisons there were no statistical differences in the means of the male and female coaches. In the 17 instances where there were statistically significant differences, 14 times the female coaches were on the more traditional side. Several possible explanations for this interesting finding are discussed.

Attitude↗

PubMed1997

Aggregation and the coexistence of competing parasitoid species.

In nature, many insect species are attacked by more than one specialized species of parasitoid. We examine whether parasitoid aggregation among patches containing hosts can promote the coexistence of specialized parasitoids on the same host species. We construct models to analyze the effects of three types of parasitoid aggregation: direct density-dependent, inverse density-dependent, and density-independent aggregation. All three types of aggregation may facilitate coexistence, provided the parasitoid species show behavioral differences that produce different patterns of aggregation. By deriving general conditions of coexistence of parasitoids, we show that all three types of aggregation act to facilitate coexistence in the same way--by increasing the covariance between the distributions of susceptible hosts and the least common parasitoid. Although they act in the same way, in general the effect of density-independent aggregation in facilitating coexistence is greater than either direct or inverse density-dependent aggregation. This suggests that density-independent aggregation may have the greatest potential to facilitate the coexistence of specialize parasitoids using the same host.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Fighting behavior and winning National Hockey League games: a paradox.

To assess a relationship between fighting behavior and winning games in the National Hockey League (NHL), 4,240 NHL game summaries from five consecutive seasons (1987-88--1991-92) were examined. Analysis of the relation between a team's number of major fighting penalties and final league standings gave four significant negative correlations indicating a substantial inverse relationship, i.e., the larger the number of fights, the lower the final standings tended to be, although one significant positive correlation was obtained for those teams finishing in the bottom half of the standings. The results question the popular belief that fighting and winning NHL games are favorably associated. Explanations are suggested.

Adult↗

PubMed1986

Family characteristics and school achievements of type A children.

We examined the familial characteristics of Type A children and the consequences of Type A behaviors for children's classroom achievements. A maximum of 156 boys and 190 girls enrolled in elementary and middle schools and their parents participated in various aspects of the data collection procedures and analyses reported in this article. Results showed that Type A children were not more likely to have families with a history of cardiovascular-related diseases or families of upper socioeconomic status. Young Type A boys, but not girls, had Type A mothers and fathers, suggesting an early modeling of Type A behaviors by boys. Competitive boys and girls and Type A girls had higher achievement test scores and classroom grades, independent of IQ test scores, than did relatively noncompetitive children and Type B girls, respectively. Thus, the competitive aspect of Type A leads to important early achievements, independent of ability, perhaps because care givers and teachers respond to Type A behaviors of children by encouraging them to continue to strive to achieve. Gender differences in the findings were also discussed and related to the adult literature.

Achievement↗