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This study examined how high school course-taking patterns (i.e., career and technical education [CTE] vs. academic vs. no concentration), personal characteristics embedded in a social cognitive theory framework (e.g., self-efficacy, academic expectations), and contextual variables (e.g., parental expectations, socioeconomic status [SES]) interact with each other in the prediction of students' income and job satisfaction 8 years after graduating from high school. Using a nationally representative data set (the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002), we found significant differences by sex and course-taking pattern in the prediction of income: Among men, CTE concentrators had the highest income, whereas among women, academic concentrators reported the greatest earnings. We observed similar levels of job satisfaction among academic and CTE concentrators. We also found that SES significantly moderated the effect of English self-efficacy and academic expectations in the prediction of income and general effort in the prediction of job satisfaction. Our findings highlight how a social cognitive framework can be used to investigate the links between high school course-taking, personal and contextual factors, and job outcomes. They additionally suggest the need to consider a broader set of outcomes for evaluating the benefits of CTE participation.

The study purpose was to examine whether adolescents who participated in organized physical activity (PA) programs differed from nonparticipants in motivation, social support, and self-efficacy related to PA; PA (min/hr); and sedentary screen time behavior. Thirty-nine 5th-7th grade adolescents participated in organized PA programs; 41 did not. Approximately 56.3% were Black, and 52.5% had annual family incomes <$20,000. Compared to nonparticipants, those who participated reported significantly higher social support (M = 2.32 vs. 3.13, p < 0.001) and fewer hours watching television or movies on a usual weekend day (M = 2.49 vs. 1.59, p = 0.016); and had higher accelerometer-measured vigorous PA (M = 0.58 vs. 1.04, p = 0.009) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (M = 2.48 vs. 3.45, p = 0.035). Involving adolescents in organized PA programs may be important for improving their moderate-to-vigorous PA, vigorous PA, and related psychosocial factors, as well as reducing sedentary screen time behavior.

The concept of human capital originated in economics over 200 years ago. The current paper takes a novel approach to human capital by interpreting it from a psychological perspective. We divide human capital into 2 domains: traditional and nontraditional. The traditional domain consists of the constructs that have been historically classified as human capital: the cognitive skills and knowledge associated with educational success and measured by high-stakes tests. The nontraditional domain consists of constructs that have not historically been associated with human capital: personality traits, vocational interests, and psychosocial and academic-related factors. Both traditional and nontraditional human capitals are important predictors of school and work success. Science, however, is concerned with developing explanations in addition to making accurate predictions, and we move beyond a descriptive taxonomy of human capital constructs by providing a psychological process-based account of human capital grounded in the cognitive-affective processing system (CAPS) developed by Mischel and Shoda. To practically illustrate the power of this approach for explaining how human capital is manifested in individuals' actions, we offer a CAPS-based model of student help-seeking behavior--a type of behavior that is an important facilitator of positive educational outcomes.

This meta-analytic path analysis presents evidence that first-year academic performance (FYAP), measured by first-year grade point average (FYGPA) plays the major role in determining second-year student retention and that socioeconomic status (SES), measured by parental income, plays a negligible role. Based on large sample data used in a previous study, we conducted additional analyses that included corrections for measurement error and created path models using precollege academic achievement, measured by ACT Composite scores and high school GPA (HSGPA), and SES to predict FYAP and then second-year retention. Precollege academic performances had direct effects on FYAP, and FYAP fully mediated their effects on second-year retention. SES did not contribute to the prediction of FYAP, and it had only a trivial effect on second-year retention. The results of this study point to the criticality of FYAP, and supporting first-year student academic success may serve as the central vehicle for retention efforts.

Objective: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, leading to cognitive decline and personality changes. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to characterize angioarchitectural changes in the retina and choroid of individuals with FTD compared to cognitively normal controls using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA). Methods: Cross-sectional comparison of patients with FTD and controls with normal cognition. All participants underwent Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at the time of imaging. Outcome measures included OCT parameters: retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, ganglion cell layer-inner plexiform layer (GC-IPL) thickness, central subfield thickness (CST), subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), choroidal vascularity index (CVI); and OCTA superficial capillary plexus parameters: foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, 3x3mm and 6x6mm macular perfusion density (PD) and vessel density (VD), 4.5x4.5mm peripapillary capillary perfusion density (CPD) and capillary flux index (CFI). Generalized estimating equation analysis was used to account for the inclusion of 2 eyes from the same participant. Results: 29 eyes of 19 patients with FTD and 85 eyes of 48 controls were analyzed. In FTD, 3x3mm macular PD (p = 0.02) and VD (p = 0.02) and CFI (p = 0.01) were reduced compared to controls. There was no difference in average 4.5x4.5mm CPD, RNFL thickness, GC-IPL thickness, CST, SFCT, CVI, FAZ, or 6x6mm VD or PD between FTD and controls (all p > 0.05); however, there was a trend toward lower macular 6x6mm PD and VD in patients with FTD. Conclusion: Decline of peripapillary and macular OCT and OCTA parameters merit further investigation as potential biomarkers for FTD detection. Noninvasive retinal and choroidal imaging may hold promise for earlier detection, and future longitudinal studies will clarify their role in monitoring of FTD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Saudi Arabia has one of the highest childhood obesity rates worldwide. The primary factor associated with the high prevalence of obesity among adolescents is a lack of physical activity (PA). Compared tomale adolescents, very few Saudi female adolescents meet the World Health Organization recommendation of achieving 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA per day, putting them at a higher risk of overweight and obesity. Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the relationship between the theory of planned behavior and psychosocial factors, including attitude toward PA, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), PA intention, and selfreported PA among Saudi female adolescents. Methods: A convenience sample of 329 Saudi female adolescents was recruited from all-female public intermediate and high schools in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using online self-administered questionnaires. The theoretical model was examined using structural equation modeling. Results: The findings revealed a higher prevalence of overweight compared to obesity among participants. About half the participants were from families with a medium monthly income. The mean PA score indicated a low level of PA. The model demonstrated significant explanatory power for both PA intention and PA behavior, respectively. The strongest predictor of adolescents' intention was attitude, followed by PBC. Moreover, the female adolescents' attitudes and PBC had significant indirect effects on self-reported PA through intention, whereas intention had a direct effect on PA. The model did not support a direct or indirect relationship between subjective norms and PA. Discussion: The findings provide essential support for targeting attitude and perceived behavior control of female adolescents in order to enhance their PA intention. This theoretical understanding can help design effective theory-based interventions that promote PA among Saudi female adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a 12-week "Guys/Girls Opt for Activities for Life" (GOAL) intervention on 10- to 13-year-old adolescents' body mass index (BMI), percent body fat, physical activity (PA), diet quality, and psychosocial perceptions related to PA and healthy eating. Parent-adolescent dyads from two schools were enrolled. Schools were assigned to either GOAL (38 dyads) or control (43 dyads) condition. The intervention included an after-school club for adolescents 2 days/week, parent-adolescent dyad meeting, and parent Facebook group. Intervention adolescents had greater autonomous motivation for PA and self-efficacy for healthy eating than control adolescents (both p < 0.05). Although between-group differences were not significant, close-to-moderate effect sizes resulted for accelerometer-measured moderate-to-vigorous PA and diet quality measured via 24-hr dietary recall (d = 0.46 and 0.44, respectively). A trivial effect size occurred for percent body fat (d = -0.10). No differences emerged for BMI. Efficacy testing with a larger sample may be warranted.