News

Australian Catholic University: PhD Scholarship UniversityFebruary 25, 2015 by Walter

Institute for Positive Psychology and Education

PhD Scholarship Opportunity

Professor Richard Ryan and Associate Professor Chris Lonsdale are seeking to recruit a promising student to complete a PhD under their supervision at the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education (IPPE), AustralianCatholic University.

The candidate will complete a doctoral thesis on a topic related to a randomised controlled trial of a web-based teacher professional development intervention. The intervention is grounded in self-determination theory principles and is designed to promote autonomous motivation towards physical activity in primary school-aged students. Thesis topics could include, but are not limited to, the effects of the intervention on students’ health, well-being, and engagement with academic lessons.

We welcome applications from individuals with a background in psychology, education, sport science, or another discipline related to the project.

Successful Candidate will Receive:

a tax free stipend of $30,000AUD per annum for three years;
funding for project costs;
a Commonwealth-funded place for domestic students;
a tuition fee waiver; and
Overseas Health Care Policy for international students.

A start date in 2015 is preferred.

For more information about IPPE, please visit:

http://www.acu.edu.au/research/research_institutes_and_programs/ippe

How to Apply:

Please complete the Postgraduate Scholarship Form and send to res.cand@acu.edu.au.

Applicants should also include a cover letter of not more than two pages providing evidence of:

Academic excellence, including, but not limited to, academic awards or grants;
Skills in quantitative research methods and statistics;
Previous research experience;
Alignment of research experience and interests with the Physical Activity, Sport & Health Psychology research theme within IPPE;
Ability to contribute to a team; and
English language skills.

Applications Close: March 31, 2015 or until a suitable applicant is found.

For specific information about this position:
Please email Chris Lonsdale (chris.lonsdale@acu.edu.au).

SDT Faculty Win 2014 ISSI Best Paper AwardFebruary 20, 2015 by Walter

February 28th 2014.

Self-Determination Theory faculty Nikos Ntoumanis and Joan Duda have been awarded the 2014 International Society for Self and Identity (ISSI) Best Paper Award for their work, “Self-Regulatory Responses to Unattainable Goals: The Role of Goal Motives”, published in the 2014 volume of Self and Identity. The award was given out at this years Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) conference, held in Long Beach, California on February 26th -28th.

To find out more about ISSI: http://www.issiweb.org/

Ntoumanis, N., Healy, L. C., Sedikides, C., Smith, A. L., & Duda, J. L. (2014). Self-regulatory responses to unattainable goals: The role of goal motives. Self and Identity, 13, 594 – 612. doi: 10.1080/15298868.2014.889033

Gamasutra: Designing Shadow of Mordor’s Nemesis systemFebruary 4, 2015 by Walter

February 4th 2015.

This Gamasutra article explores how Warner Bros. Games’ studio Monolith designed the Nemesis gaming system of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) concepts. What made this game distinctive from other games was the Nemesis system and its ability to enable narrative and a player-driven story supportive of the basic psychological needs, which facilitate enjoyment and engagement.

Here is an excerpt from the article…

Last year, WB Games studio Monolith had an unexpected hit with the release of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. It’s a superb game overall, but it was the game’s Nemesis system, and its ability to facilitate player-driven story and narrative, that really made the game standout from the typical triple-A relase.

Michael de Plater, design director on the game, gave a quick run-down of the system at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas.

“How can we make narrative out of the gameplay?” is the question at the core of the Nemesis system.

One way to find an answer to that question was to identify player “needs.” de Plater and his team used psychological theories as reference points when looking to satisfy player needs through Shadow of Mordor.

One applied theory was the self-determination theory, which says human beings have three fundamental needs: Competence (they need to feel effective in dealing with environment); Autonomy (they need to control the course of their lives); Relatedness (they need to have relationships with others). Shadow of Mordor and the design of the Nemesis system sought to satisfy those three elements.

de Plater also said Player Experience of Need Satisfaction and GNS Theory (which attempts to explain how RPGs work) were also highly instructive in the making of the Nemesis system.

By breaking down human needs and identifying psychological motivation, the team was able to get more clarity than they would’ve if they just chased the amorphous, subjective idea of “fun,” de Plater said

Read the full article at:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/235777/Designing_Shadow_of_Mordors_Nemesis_system.php#comments

Huffington Post: People Leave Bad Bosses, Not Companies: Here’s WhyJanuary 14, 2015 by Walter

January 14th 2014.

Self-Determination Theory faculty Dr. Adam Grant cited in Huffington Post blog on workplace satisfaction.

“People work so hard, yet so often they never get to meet the people directly impacted by their work. Companies need to place more emphasis on “end user” connection because the research in this area is nothing short of amazing. Here are some examples:

** Dr. Adam Grant and colleagues worked with call center employees at the University of Michigan. They had the fun task of cold calling alums to ask for money. One of the groups in his study actually got to meet a scholarship recipient and talk to him first hand. The scholarship recipient talked about how much the scholarship had changed his life, and he thanked the folks in the call center for their hard work. Once the call center workers realized how their work had an impact, they became motivated to work harder; in fact, their weekly revenue increased 400% (Grant et al., 2007)!”

By Paula Davis-Laack

For the full story:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-davislaack/people-leave-bad-bosses-n_b_6456768.html

NJ.com: Outdoor ‘green’ can fight the bluesJanuary 11, 2015 by Walter

January 11th 2014.
A study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology in 2010 showed that spending even just 20 minutes a day in fresh air boosts vitality that is, having both physical and mental energy.
“Research has shown that people with a greater sense of vitality don’t just have more energy for things they want to do, they are also more resilient to physical illnesses,” said Richard Ryan, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester and an author of the study.

Call for Self-Determination Theory FacultyJanuary 1, 2015 by Walter

January 1st 2015.

Call for Self-Determination Theory Faculty

We are now accepting nominations for the SDT Faculty webpage. If you, or someone you know, is working and generating research within the SDT tradition and hold(s) a PhD, please email the following information to: info@selfdeterminationtheory.org

Name of candidate (self nominations are strongly encouraged);
Contact information;
University/organization affiliation; and
Reference list for any relevant SDT publications with PDFs.

We would also like to hear from you if you have recent publications with a strong, primary focus on SDT and are not currently listed on the website. Please note that inpress publications will not be posted. Send a list of your publications with PDFs and suggested categories where the reference should be listed (i.e., education, health care, organizations and work) to info@selfdeterminationtheory.org

Dutch Medical Education Association Awards Best Thesis to SDT FacultyDecember 12, 2014 by Walter

One of SDT’s faculty, Dr. Rashmi Kusurkar, was recently awarded the “Best Thesis Prize 2014” by the Dutch Medical Education Association (NVMO). Her thesis, entitled “Motivation in Medical Students,” examines medical students’ motivation, in particular the importance of quality of motivation and the factors influencing their motivation. This prize is awarded every two years by NVMO for all theses in medical education in the Netherlands and Belgium. The criteria for judgement were: quality of the work; number of publications and citations; impact of the work for further research; a strong theoretical foundation for the work; and applications of the work in educational training and practice. Moreover the jury was of the opinion that this thesis put Self-determination Theory on the map of medical education.

Dr. Kusurkar is an Assistant Professor and Head of Research in Education at VUmc School of Medical Sciences in Amsterdam. To view more of Dr. Kusurkar’s work, click here.

Self-Determination Theory applied in Summer SchoolsOctober 14, 2014 by Walter

The Three Basic Psychological Needs by Richard Ryan and Edward Deci, demonstrated in this video from our friends at Camping Coast to Coast.

Fast Company: How to turn your Monday into a day you actually enjoySeptember 25, 2014 by Walter

September 25th 2014.

Studies have found that having weekends to relax not only makes us happier, but healthier, too:

Far from frivolous, the relatively unfettered time on weekends provides critical opportunities for bonding with others, exploring interests and relaxing—basic psychological needs. -Richard Ryan, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester

One study on why people are happier on weekends found that autonomy and relatedness have a large part to play. On weekends we have more control over what we do (autonomy) and we often spend time with people we’re close to (relatedness). Compared to the external pressures many of us feel at work during the week and the weaker relationships we have with colleagues versus our friends and family, weekends tend to rate far higher than weekdays for these two things.