Examining Adaptive Behaviors as Resistance Strategies for African American College Students in Adverse University Contexts

This study explored the adaptive behaviors used by African American college students attending a predominantly White university. In-depth individual interviews were conducted and used as the primary method of data collection for this study. In addition, a focus group session provided member checking opportunity to strengthen the study. The analysis revealed participants utilized multiple adaptive behaviors to combat negative racialized experiences while attending a university where they were underrepresented. These adaptive behaviors were used as resistance strategies by African American students navigating a racially charged university context.

A qualitative study of military officers’ perceptions of the adaptions couples make to meet the military organisation’s implicit expectations

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate military officers’ perception of the implicit expectations the organisation has for the officer’s private life and what implications it may have for gender norms at the organisation, family and individual levels. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach, using an inductive thematic analysis, was performed. The data was based on 20 interviews with military officers, including 18 men and 2 women. Findings Two main themes, with three subsequent subthemes, were identified. These themes were interpreted as being necessary for the military officer to be able to manage organisational demands. The first included the implicit expectations the organisation had for the family. The three subthemes included the officer’s acceptance of frequent travel demands, adapting private life in accordance to organisational demands and picking a partner that matches the goals of the organisation. The second identified main theme included the military officer’s descriptions of implicit expectations the organisation held for the officer’s partner. Three subthemes were identified, including the partner’s need to be independent and psychologically strong, to take the main responsibility for managing family life and to engage in emotion work with the extended family. Originality/value The findings identify important perceptions that military officers have regarding the military’s expectations for their private life and the adaptive behaviors regularly performed. These adaptive behaviors allow the military officer to be able to engage in work that sustains the organisation.

Entorhinal cortex directs learning-related changes in CA1 representations

Learning-related changes in brain activity are thought to underlie adaptive behaviors. For instance, the learning of a reward site by rodents requires the development of an over-representation of that location in the hippocampus. However, how this learning-related change occurs remains unknown. Here we recorded hippocampal CA1 population activity as mice learned a reward location on a linear treadmill. Physiological and pharmacological evidence suggests that the adaptive over-representation required behavioral timescale synaptic plasticity (BTSP). BTSP is known to be driven by dendritic voltage signals that we hypothesized were initiated by input from entorhinal cortex layer 3 (EC3). Accordingly, the CA1 over-representation was largely removed by optogenetic inhibition of EC3 activity. Recordings from EC3 neurons revealed an activity pattern that could provide an instructive signal directing BTSP to generate the over-representation. Consistent with this function, exposure to a second environment possessing a prominent reward-predictive cue resulted in both EC3 activity and CA1 place field density that were more elevated at the cue than the reward. These data indicate that learning-related changes in the hippocampus are produced by synaptic plasticity directed by an instructive signal from the EC3 that appears to be specifically adapted to the behaviorally relevant features of the environment.

Adaptive Travel Behaviors to Cope with COVID-19: A Swedish Qualitative Study Focusing on Everyday Leisure Trips

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a rapid change in travel behavior for different types of trips, including everyday social and recreational leisure trips. People have used adaptive travel behaviors to cope with the new circumstances for activities and transport. Due to the Swedish strategy focusing on more voluntary restrictions, people have had reason to consider which trips and activities to skip and which to keep. The overall aim of the study is to explore and deepen the knowledge about adaptive behaviors used and seek to understand its possible implications for future travel behavior change towards sustainable mobility through the use of qualitative interviews focusing on everyday leisure trips. The results illustrate how people have used a range of adaptive behaviors to cope with the implications of the pandemic, with cancellation and change of transport mode being the ones most reflected upon by the interviewees. Further, the results reveal how the overall label “everyday leisure trips” in fact includes a variety of trip purposes that differ in terms of flexibility and importance and must thus be approached in different ways in transport policy measures.

Knowledge Network Evolution of Smokers, Adaptive Behaviors and Enhancement of Knowledge Capability

Objectives: With the evolution of knowledge networks of smokers, we analyzed how adaptive behaviors affect the enhancement of the knowledge capability of their organization. Methods: Through the empirical analysis of 228 questionnaire data from smoker-dense zone, this paper conducts a regression analysis between the implementation of different behaviors and the capability improvement, in the context of knowledge flow evolution. Results: Conclusions show that different behavioral decisions of knowledge subjects have different influences on their knowledge capability, and the routine behaviors have a significant negative impact on their knowledge capability, while the imitative behavior and innovative behavior have a significant positive impact on the improvement of knowledge capability. These effects are also affected by the regulatory effects of the three stages of knowledge flow. Conclusion: In different stages of the functional evolution of the knowledge network of smokers, different behavioral decisions of knowledge subjects will promote or restrict their own knowledge capabilities. Based on the knowledge growth expectation, knowledge subjects can adopt different behavior strategies to achieve dynamic environment adaptation and gain competitive advantage.

Stress in pregnancy: Clinical and adaptive behavior of offspring following Superstorm Sandy

The current study investigated 304 children from a longitudinal project (the Stress in Pregnancy (SIP) Study) who were exposed and unexposed to Superstorm Sandy (“Sandy”) in utero. They were prospectively followed from 2 to 6 years of age and their clinical and adaptive behaviors were assessed annually. Using a hierarchical linear model, the study found that in utero Sandy exposure was associated with greater clinical (anxiety, depression, and somatization) and lower adaptive behaviors (social skills and functional communication) at age 2 years. However, the trajectories were notably different between the two groups. Anxiety increased more rapidly among the exposed than unexposed group at ages 2–4, and depression increased only among the exposed. In contrast, social skills and functional communication were lower in exposed compared to unexposed children at age 2, but quickly increased and exceeded the capacities of unexposed children by age 3. The findings confirm that prenatal Sandy exposure is not only associated with an increase in anxiety, depression, and somatization in offspring, but also with greater adaptive skills as the children got older. Our study demonstrates that while children who have experienced stress in utero demonstrate elevated suboptimal clinical behaviors related to affective disorders, they nevertheless have the potential to learn adaptive skills.

Impact of Internet Information on Apple Growers’ Adaptive Behaviors to Frost Disasters: Theory and Empirical Research from the Perspective of Psychological Perception

As an effective tool for farmers to obtain agricultural information, the Internet has a profound impact on apple growers’ perception of frost disasters and their adaptive behaviors. This paper constructed the theoretical analysis framework of “Apple growers’ internet information acquisition-psychological perception-adaptive behavior to frost disaster”, based on the data of 1020 apple growers in Shaanxi Province, empirically analyzing the impact of Internet information on apple growers’ adaptive behaviors to frost disasters and its mechanism by the IV probit model and the intermediary effect model. The research found that the Internet information can significantly promote the apple growers’ adaptive behaviors to frost disasters and has different effects on apple growers with different income levels and different management capabilities. Risk perception, effect perception, and risk attitudes have significant intermediary effects in the influence of the Internet information on apple growers’ adaptive behaviors to frost disasters. Therefore, when governments take advantage of the Internet platform to help apple growers cope with frost disasters, they should fully consider the socio-economic conditions and psychological perception factors of apple growers and formulate targeted adaptation strategies.