Vers une méthodologie de validation trans-culturelle de questionnaires psychologiques: Implications pour la recherche en langue fran?aise.

Proposes a cross-cultural validation methodology that allows for the validation of French versions of English psychological scales. The 7 basic steps in the method are described: (1) preparation of a preliminary French version; (2) evaluation and modification of the preliminary version; (3) evaluation of the experimental French version in a pretest; (4) evaluation of content and concomitant validity; (5) evaluation of reliability; (6) evaluation of construct validity; and (7) preparation of norms for the French version. Examples of each step are presented. (English abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

L'échelle des Orientations Générales à la Causalité: Validation canadienne fran?aise du General Causality Orientations Scale.

Conducted a reliability and validity study of the French version of E. L. Deci and R. M. Ryan's (1985) General Causality Orientations Scale (GCOS), which measures the extent to which people are oriented toward the autonomy, control, and impersonal aspects of the initiation and regulation of behavior. Findings support the psychometric and construct validity of the French version of the GCOS; suggestions for its use in French-Canadian psychological research are discussed. (English abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hydro‐ethanolic extract of cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) nut and its principal compound,anacardic acid,stimulate glucose uptake in C2C12 muscle cells

Scope: Products of cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) are used in traditional medicine for various ailments, including diabetes. Methods and results: The anti‐diabetic properties of cashew plant parts were studied using differentiated C2C12 myoblasts (myotubes) and rat liver mitochondria. Hydroethanolic extract of cashew seed (CSE) and its active component, anacardic acid (AA), stimulated glucose transport into C2C12 myotubes in a concentration‐dependent manner. Extracts of other parts (leaves, bark and apple) of cashew plant were inactive. Significant synergistic effect on glucose uptake with insulin was noticed at 100 μg/mL CSE. CSE and AA caused activation of adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase in C2C12 myotubes after 6 h of incubation. No significant effect was noticed on Akt and insulin receptor phosphorylation. Both CSE and AA exerted significant uncoupling of succinate‐stimulated respiration in rat liver mitochondria. Conclusion: Activation of adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase by CSE and AA likely increases plasma membrane glucose transporters, resulting in elevated glucose uptake. In addition, the dysfunction of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation may enhance glycolysis and contribute to increased glucose uptake. These results collectively suggest that CSE may be a potential anti‐diabetic nutraceutical.     

Les passions de l'ame: On obsessive and harmonious passion.

Passion is defined as a strong inclination toward an activity that people like, that they find important, and in which they invest time and energy. Two types of passion are proposed: obsessive and harmonious. Obsessive passion (OP) refers to a controlled internalization of an activity in one's identity that creates an internal pressure to engage in the activity that the person likes. Harmonious passion (HP) refers to an autonomous internalization that leads individuals to choose to engage in the activity that they like. HP promotes healthy adaptation whereas OP thwarts it by causing negative affect and rigid persistence. Results from four studies involving more than 900 participants from different populations supported the proposed conceptualization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Special issue on self-determination theory: A Canadian contribution.

A number of theories have been proposed to account for the role of motivation in human functioning. Amongst these theories, self-determination theory (e.g., Deci & Ryan, 1985) has been especially influential. Canadian researchers have played a key role in the development of this important theory. The collection of articles in this special issue concern self-determination theory. Following an introductory article by Deci and Ryan, a total of nine articles appear. These articles review research in a variety of contexts on various important themes, such as work, education, relationships, parenting, health, environmental issues, and psychotherapy. Finally, a concluding article provides some reflection on these articles and proposes directions for future research. As such, this special issue celebrates the role that Canadian researchers have played, and continue to play, in testing and refining this major motivation theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Loisirs et santé mentale: les relations entre la motivation pour la pratique des loisirs et le bien-être psychologique.

Studied interactions between motivations for leisure activities and psychological well-being to test the hypothesis that a high degree of motivational self-determination is associated with a high level of psychological functioning. 463 secondary school students (mean age 17 yrs) completed a questionnaire assessing their intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for different types of leisure activities. The types of motivation differed with regard to their levels of self-determination. Results were analyzed in relation to questionnaire data on psychological well-being. The Motivation for Leisure Scale (L. G. Pelletier et al, 1994) and the Index of Psychological Well-Being (Pelletier et al) were used. (English abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the psychology of passion: In search of what makes people's lives most worth living.

The purpose of the present paper is to present a new conceptualisation on passion for activities, the Dualistic Model of Passion (Vallerand et al., 2003) and an overview of related research. Passion is defined as a strong inclination toward an activity that people like, find important, and in which they invest time and energy. This model further posits the existence of two types of passion each associated with different outcomes and experiences. Harmonious passion originates from an autonomous internalisation of the activity in identity and leads people to choose to engage in the activity that they love. It is expected to mainly lead to more adaptive outcomes. Conversely, obsessive passion originates from a controlled internalisation in identity and leads people to experience an uncontrollable urge to engage in the activity. It is hypothesised to predict less adaptive outcomes. Results of several studies conducted with a variety of participants, activities, and outcomes provide support for the model. The development of passion was also addressed. These studies clearly support the significant role of passion in people's lives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Defect characterization in pulsed thermography: a statistical method compared with Kohonen and Perceptron neural networks

Pulsed thermography is a popular NDE technique. In this paper, a novel statistical processing method is proposed and compared in term of defect detection and characterization with two common neural network architectures (Perceptron and Kohonen). Interest is on characterization of aluminum corrosion. The statistical method and neural network architectures use temperature, phase and amplitude data with phase and amplitude data coming from the so-called pulsed phase thermography approach. The statistical method reveals interesting performance over tested neural networks, especially in the ’interference technique,’ a combined ’two-step’ approach: detection with phase and characterization with amplitude. Theory is discussed and examples of results are presented.     

Remerciements de Robert J. Vallerand, rédacteur associé de 1984 à 1993.

In the autumn of 1984, Professor Adrien Pinard, then associate editor (and as such responsible for French language content) of the Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, fell suddenly ill and asked me to stand in for a few months. I gladly agreed, without knowing, however, that the endeavour would last more than nine years. Indeed, from 1984 to 1993, I have had the pleasure to serve the scientific community in psychology, particularly by assuming editorial responsibilities for the French language edition of the Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science. Now that the adventure has ended, I wish to thank certain people. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Développement d'une échelle de satisfaction des besoins fondamentaux en contexte sportif.

The purpose of the present three studies was to develop and validate a questionnaire designed to measure perceptions of competence, autonomy, and relatedness in the sport context. Deci and Ryan (1985) postulate that the intrinsic motivated behaviour is associated with the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Exploratory (Study 1) and confirmatory analyses (Study 2) were conducted amongst French athletes. These studies demonstrated an acceptable internal consistency and confirmed the three-factor structure of the questionnaire. In addition, the construct validity of the scale was also corroborated in Study 3 where perceptions of competence, autonomy, and relatedness were found to predict the different types of sport motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)