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Huffington Post: NFL Draft Preparation: Put Your Money Where Your Mindset IsMarch 3, 2013 by Walter

March 3rd 2013.

Nick Winkelman, the Director of Training Systems and Education at Athletes’ Performance’s Phoenix facility, has a mission to make his NFL hopefuls prepared for “the immensity of the moment.” He and his colleagues employ training techniques based on Self Determination Theory. Developed by Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan at the University of Rochester, SDT is a theory of motivation that emphasizes social connectedness with peers, a confidence in one’s own autonomous capability and a system of self-advocacy based on reinforcing a sense of individual efficacy…..

For the full story:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-bruno/mental-preparedness-nfl_b_2799645.html

By Barbara Bruno

Press Release: New book by University of Queensland facultyFebruary 28, 2013 by Walter

February 28th 2013.

A new book written by researchers from The University of Queensland and Queensland Health offers a unique guide for therapists and professionals to successfully work with children.

The Art and Science of Motivation: A therapist’s guide to working with children, to be launched on March 4, uses Self Determination Theory (SDT) to examine the effect of motivation and personality on a child’s behaviour.

Authors Professor Jenny Ziviani, Dr Anne Poulsen and Associate Professor Monica Cuskelly combine years of clinical and research experience to provide practitioners with a sound theoretical basis that supports the way they engage with children and their parents in therapy.

Professor Ziviani, from UQ’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, said the book highlighted the importance of children and parents being involved in decisions around a child’s care and the need for practitioners to provide information in a comprehensible fashion.

“We encourage practitioners to provide choice where possible, as this helps children and parents feel they are active participants in therapy and therefore more likely to be committed to achieving their goals,” she said.

“We also examine the importance of the relationship between the therapist and the child/parent; if a child does not want to come along to therapy then this will adversely influence a whole range of outcomes.

Wired: Compelling Design is About Psychology, Not TechnologyJanuary 14, 2013 by Walter

December 5th 2013.

Image: niallkennedy/Flickr

Don’t get me wrong: No one who’s held an iPhone can deny the appeal of beautifully designed technology. But what really makes a product stick has more to do with the psychology behind its design than its physical or functional features. It’s all about the how, not the what.

Every few years the health and wellness industry, like any other, cycles through hot trends and buzzwords. In the last few years there’s been quite a bit of focus in “gamification” in health. The idea is that gamifying a health solution, like a weight loss app, will make it more appealing and addictive to the user. It will make the app stick, and therefore lead to better outcomes.

Clearly, though, this doesn’t always work out as planned: Gartner estimates that 80% of gamified solutions will be off the market by next year due to poor design. Why isn’t gamification working for health?

Read the full story at:

http://www.wired.com/2013/12/compelling-design-is-about-psychology-not-technology-3/

By Amy Bucher

YouTube: Supporting Athletes’ NeedsOctober 19, 2012 by Walter

October 19th 2012.

Originally published at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxsJT6XwNy0

TEDx Talk (Rochester, NY): “I love motivation…”August 12, 2012 by Walter

August 13th 2012.

By TEDx Talks

New York Times: Guest Post | Helping Students Motivate ThemselvesJanuary 9, 2012 by Walter

January 9th 2012.

A recent Times article, “Motivating Students With Cash-for-Grades Incentive,” looks at efforts around the world to pay students for academic achievement.

In it, Edward Deci, a psychologist at the University of Rochester and author of of “Why We Do What We Do,” is quoted:

“It is easy to get people to do things by paying them if you’ve got enough money and they’ve got the necessary skills,” he said. “But they will keep doing it only as long as you keep paying them. And even if they were doing it before, when you stop paying them the behavior drops to a lower level than when you started paying them. We’ve done thousands of experiments on this over 40 years and the data is incredibly robust.”

“There is no evidence that paying people helps them learn — and a lot of evidence that it doesn’t,” Mr. Deci said. Then why do parents — and governments like the United Arab Emirates — resort to paying students? “Because it’s easy,” Mr. Deci said. “It’s much harder to work with people to get them motivated from the inside.”

YouTube: ABC News Interview with Richard RyanJune 30, 2011 by Walter

June 30th 2011.

In an interview with ABC News, Richard Ryan discusses coming out as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, and how the environment influences the coming out process. This research was conducted by Nicole Legate, Richard Ryan and Netta Weinstein.

ABC World News

TIME: To Keep Willpower from Flagging, Remember the F-Word: ‘Fun’October 22, 2010 by Walter

October 22nd 2010.
Exercising self-control isn’t fun.

If you’re dieting, for instance, you may easily resist the blueberry muffin at that impossibly aromatic bakeshop you pass by in the morning. You may then have lunch with your friends but just order a small salad (sans creamy dressing, of course). But at some point later in the day, your defenses get weaker. You find yourself declaring after dinner that, yes, you will take a look at the dessert menu. I will have a slice of that creamy cheesecake, you say. After all, what’s a little indulgence after a strenuous day of healthful living? (More on Time.com: The ‘Other’ Salt: 5 Foods Rich in Potassium)

“Energy depletion effects are most apparent when people feel low autonomy,” says Richard M. Ryan, a psychology professor at the University of Rochester. “To the extent that activities are viewed as either fun or valuable, and therefore freely and willingly done, people find them less draining. And they can even experience increased energy [after] completion of such tasks.”

Read the full story at:

To Keep Willpower from Flagging, Remember the F-Word: ‘Fun’

By Hans Villarica

NOW AVAILABLE: Photos from the 4th International SDT ConferenceMay 10, 2010 by Walter

May 15th 2010.

4th International SDT Conference held in Ghent University in Belgium

In May, Self-Determination Theory held its 4th international scientific conference in Ghent, Belgium. It was clear that the SDT psychological framework is thriving. The four-day conference attracted 128 papers and 276 posters presented by 550 researchers from almost every country in Europe, plus the United States, Canada, China, Russia, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Jordan, Iran, South Africa, Peru, and Colombia. This event was a wonderful, unforgettable experience thanks to participation of so many people and to the amazing conference organizers.

PHOTOS NOW POSTED: We have uploaded a collection of pictures from the conference.

FULL CONFERENCE PROGRAM: PDF version of the full conference program.