Adaptive performance and personality traits in the context of healthcare

Recent empirical and theoretical studies suggest that personality and locomotory performance traits linked to dispersal abilities are crucial components of the dispersal syndromes, and that they can evolve during range expansions and colonization processes. Island colonization is one of the best characterized processes in dispersal biogeography, and its implication in the evolution of phenotypic traits has been investigated over a wide range of temporal scales. However, the effect of island colonization on personality and performance traits of natural populations, and how these traits could drive island colonization, has been little explored. Noteworthy, no studies have addressed these processes in the context of late Pleistocene range expansions. Here, we investigated the contribution of island colonization triggered by postglacial range expansions to intraspecific variation in personality and locomotory performance traits. We compared boldness, exploration, jumping performance, and stickiness abilities in populations from 3 equidistant areas of the Tyrrhenian tree frog Hyla sarda, 2 from the main island (Corsica Island), and 1 from the recently colonized island of Elba. Individuals from Elba were significantly bolder than individuals from Corsica, as they emerged sooner from a shelter (P = 0.028), while individuals from Corsica showed markedly higher jumping and stickiness performance (both P < 0.001), resulting as more performing than those of Elba. We discuss these results in the context of the major microevolutionary processes at play during range expansion, including selection, spatial sorting, founder effects, and their possible interaction with local adaptation processes.

Metabolism, behaviour and growth are highly flexible in fish species, and inter-individual variation in these traits is evolutionarily and ecologically significant. It has long been suggested that these traits co-vary, although their relationships are debated. In the present study, we investigated whether metabolism, behaviour, growth and the potential relationships among them vary with food availability in sterile triploid carp. In this experimental animal model, we investigated the standard metabolic rate (SMR), growth performance and personality traits (i.e. activity, exploration and boldness) of juvenile individuals before and after 25 days of rearing in which fish were fed either once or twice a day to satiation. Inter-individual differences in SMR in each group showed high repeatability across the experimental period, and twice-fed fish showed higher SMRs than once-fed fish after 25 days of rearing. Compared with the once-fed group, the twice-fed group showed higher feeding rates (FRs) and lower feeding efficiencies (FEs) but similar specific growth rates (SGRs). None of the personality traits was affected by food availability. Furthermore, both boldness and exploration were highly repeatable throughout the experiment in the group fed twice a day, whereas only exploration showed repeatability in the group fed once a day. In the once-fed group, SMR and the personality traits were positively correlated with FR and negatively correlated with FE and/or SGR; however, these relationships did not exist in the twice-fed group due to the surplus of food. These results suggest that food availability significantly affects physiological, behavioural and ecological processes in these fish by altering the trade-off between metabolism and growth.

Currently, the online learners are increasingly demanding more personalized learning since the web technology, and the learners have individual features of characteristics such as learning goals, experiences, interests, personality traits, learning styles, learning activities, and prior knowledge. A personalized learning process requires an adaptive learning system (ALS). In order to adapt, a learner model is required. Thus, modelling the learner model in an adaptive system environment is a key point to success in recommending the learner. The ontology-based approach was used to model the adaptive learning model in this research. Ontology is a graph structure that consists of a collection of contexts, relationships, and models which related to contexts. The ontology of the learner model enables to produce a description of learner’s properties which contains important information about domain knowledge, learning performance, interests, preference, goal, tasks, and personal traits. Keywords - Personalized Learning, Adaptive Learning System, Ontology, Learner Model

Aim Understanding how interindividual variation within populations drives the evolution of biodiversity patterns is a major challenge in ecology and evolutionary biology. By reshuffling species distribution in space and time, Pleistocene climatic oscillations shaped the structure of biodiversity. While the genetic legacy left by these processes has been widely investigated, their effects on phenotypic diversity remain largely unexplored. Here, we investigated whether Pleistocene range expansion affected the geographic patterns of phenotypic variation in the Tyrrhenian tree frog Hyla sarda . Location Sardinia and Corsica Islands. Taxon Hyla sarda (Amphibia, Anura). Methods We collected tree frogs from four distinct geographic areas along the past expansion route, controlling for variation in altitude, local habitat effects, population demographic factors and bioclimatic differences, allowing us to minimise confounding effects on the phenotypic trait studied. Then, we scored intraspecific variation in two personality traits, two performance traits, and morphological traits likely involved in the dispersal process. Results Tree frogs from Corsica were more prudent in a novel environment; they had significantly larger body sizes, longer limbs and wider head sizes and displayed stronger take‐off and adhesion performances than individuals from the source area in Sardinia. Main Conclusion These results suggest a non‐random spatial sorting of the intraspecific variation in multiple phenotypic traits during the range expansion phase. In turn, they also suggest that population differentiation in phenotypic trait associations might be a legacy of past biogeographic dynamics, identifying an overlooked driver of current patterns of intraspecific variation in phenotypic integration and opening intriguing evolutionary scenarios on the processes shaping the phenotypic architecture of animal populations. Future studies should investigate the genomic architecture underlying the phenotypic patterns that emerged and explore the potential role of trait selection via spatial sorting and plasticity‐led evolution in shaping these patterns.

Disinhibited individuals show heterogeneity in their neuropsychosocial characteristics. To better understand this variability, we used a person-centered approach to identify transdiagnostic profiles of disinhibition based on a range of personality and neurocognitive indicators. A community sample of adults (N = 363; ages 18-55; 50.1% female; data collected 2019-2024), enriched for externalizing disorders, completed a multilevel assessment encompassing clinical symptoms, personality traits, neuropsychological task performance, and trauma history. Latent profile analysis of disinhibition-related indicators identified three distinct profiles that differed in both the severity and configuration of disinhibitory features. Two profiles exhibited elevated disinhibition: The Neurocognitive Disinhibition profile (n = 72) was characterized by low cognitive and executive functioning performance but average impulsive personality traits, whereas the Personality Disinhibition profile (n = 103) was marked by high levels of trait impulsivity and intact cognitive-executive functioning. A third profile, Low Disinhibition (n = 188), was characterized by relatively low impulsivity and strong executive functioning. The Neurocognitive and Personality Disinhibition profiles showed higher levels of externalizing psychopathology and self- and other-directed violence compared with the Low Disinhibition profile. In addition, the Neurocognitive Disinhibition profile demonstrated greater specificity for externalizing psychopathology and a more extensive history of trauma exposure, whereas the Personality Disinhibition profile was characterized by elevations across both externalizing and internalizing psychopathology. Together, these findings indicate that symptom-agnostic, person-centered classification approaches can delineate meaningful subtypes of disinhibition that differ across personality, neurocognitive, and environmental risk domains. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

This study examines the relationship of internet addiction with personality, academic performance, and internet self-efficacy in the context of higher education. In addition, the study investigates the relationship between two questionnaires that measure internet addiction: the internet addiction test () and the online cognition scale (OCS). The study sample was 110 Greek female students at their second year of studies in educational sciences. Participants completed the following questionnaires: internet self-efficacy (ISE), Big Five personality test (Big Five), internet addiction test (IAT) and online cognition scale (OCS). Questions on participants' demographics and internet usage experience were also used. A moderate negative significant correlation was found between personality and internet addiction. The highest magnitude of this negative correlation was observed for the Big Five emotional stability trait. Internet addiction did not significantly correlate with academic performance, nor did it significantly correlate with internet self-efficacy. Moreover, no significant correlation was found between academic performance and internet self-efficacy. Finally, a strong positive significant correlation was found between IAT and OCS.

As schizophrenia is genetically and clinically heterogeneous, systematic investigations are required to determine whether ICD-10 or DSM-IV categorical diagnoses identify a phenotype suitable and sufficient for genetic research, or whether correlated phenotypes incorporating neurocognitive performance and personality traits provide a phenotypic characterisation that accounts better for the underlying variation. We utilised a grade of membership (GoM) model (a mathematical typology developed for studies of complex biological systems) to integrate multiple cognitive and personality measurements into a limited number of composite graded traits (latent pure types) in a sample of 61 nuclear families comprising 80 subjects with ICD-10/DSM-IV schizophrenia or schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 138 nonpsychotic first-degree relatives. GoM probability scores, computed for all subjects, allowed individuals to be partly assigned to more than one pure type. Two distinct and contrasting neurocognitive phenotypes, one familial, associated with paranoid schizophrenia, and one sporadic, associated with nonparanoid schizophrenia, accounted for 74% of the affected subjects. Combining clinical diagnosis with GoM scores to stratify the entire sample into liability classes, and using variance component analysis (SOLAR), in addition to parametric and nonparametric multipoint linkage analysis, we explored candidate regions on chromosomes 6, 10 and 22. The results indicated suggestive linkage for the familial neurocognitive phenotype (multipoint MLS 2.6 under a low-penetrance model and MLS>3.0 under a high-penetrance model) to a 14 cM area on chromosome 6, including the entire HLA region. Results for chromosomes 10 and 22 were negative. The findings suggest that the familial neurocognitive phenotype may be a pleiotropic expression of genes underlying the susceptibility to paranoid schizophrenia. We conclude that use of composite neurocognitive and personality trait measurements as correlated phenotypes supplementing clinical diagnosis can help stratify the liability to schizophrenia across all members of families prior to linkage, allow the search for susceptibility genes to focus selectively on subsets of families at high genetic risk, and augment considerably the power of genetic analysis.

IntroductionCorrelations between olfactory performance and particular personality traits (e.g., disgust proneness), as well as symptoms of specific mental disorders (e.g., depression) have been found in numerous studies with adults. The present questionnaire study examined whether similar associations already exist in childhood.MethodThe olfactory discrimination ability of 66 children (32 boys and 34 girls aged between 7 and 11 years) was tested. In addition, the children filled out screening questionnaires to assess the severity of symptoms related to depression, various anxiety disorders (e.g., panic disorder, social anxiety disorder), and disgust proneness. A multiple regression analysis was calculated with olfactory performance as criterion variable and questionnaire scores as predictor variables.ResultsThe results showed that depression and disgust proneness were negatively associated with olfactory discrimination ability. Moreover, high levels of social anxiety and low levels of panic symptoms were found to be positive predictors of olfactory performance.ConclusionThis investigation identified specific associations between olfactory performance and affective symptoms in children.ImplicationsFuture tests with pediatric samples (children with anxiety disorders, depression) are recommended.

Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, disturbances in cognitive and emotional functioning. Cognitive impairment (so-called "fibrofog") is increasingly recognized as a central feature of fibromyalgia. However, its relationship with psychological traits and personality dimensions remains insufficiently explored. This study aimed to examine the interaction between cognitive performance, emotional states, and personality traits in individuals diagnosed with fibromyalgia. This descriptive pilot study involved 10 female outpatients diagnosed with fibromyalgia according to the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology. Participants underwent a comprehensive assessment including neuropsychological, psychological, personality, and motor evaluations. Instruments used included the Young Schema Questionnaire, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Brief COPE questionnaire, and a battery of cognitive and motor tests. Statistical analyses were conducted using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. The most frequently observed maladaptive personality schemas were self-sacrifice (80%) and unrelenting standards (70%). Trait anxiety was present in 80% of participants, and depressive symptoms were reported by 90%. While short-term and long-term memory were generally preserved, 80% of participants showed deficits in divided attention, and 40% demonstrated impaired mobility under dual-task conditions. Significant correlations were found between anxiety and cognitive flexibility, as well as between coping strategies and working memory performance. Patients with fibromyalgia exhibit a complex cognitive-emotional profile characterized by attentional deficits, maladaptive personality traits, and elevated psychological distress. These findings emphasize the importance of multidimensional assessment and suggest that interventions targeting personality schemas and coping mechanisms may improve cognitive and functional outcomes in this population.

This paper is a conceptual and methodological critique of arguments advanced by Ones and Viswesvaran (1996, this issue) favoring ‘broad’ over ‘narrow’ personality traits for personnel selection and theoretical explanation. We agree with Ones and Viswesvaran that predictors should match criteria in terms of specificity. We depart from them, however, in our view of how traits should be chosen to obtain the best possible prediction and explanation of a complex overall job performance criterion. We argue that the best criterion-related validities will be attained if researchers use a construct-oriented approach to match specific traits (i.e. traits narrower than the Big Five) to those specific job performance dimensions that have been found to be job relevant. We further argue that researchers should focus on development of theories of job performance that incorporate constructs that are both specific and meaningful. If researchers seek to emphasize only overall job performance and personality traits greater than or equal to the Big Five in breadth, we will fail to acquire a great deal of important knowledge about the nature and causes of important aspects of work behavior.

BackgroundSubjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) may represent the earliest clinical manifestation of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (Jessen et al. 2014). In individuals with SCD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), changes in white matter (WM) microstructure have been shown using diffusion weighted (DW) imaging (Brueggen et al. 2019). However, it is unknown to which extent these alterations are associated with cognitive and psychological deficits. Thus, this study aims to investigate the relationship between WM tract metrics and cognitive performance as well as psychological traits in pre‐dementia stages of AD.MethodIn total, 88 patients with MCI, 90 individuals with SCD, and 47 healthy controls (mean age 69±7 years) underwent neuropsychological testing and DW magnetic resonance imaging. Selected questionnaires on stress coping, worry, and rumination were included to evaluate the psychological profile of SCD. Fractional Anisotropy (FA) and Mean Diffusivity (MD) from the DW images were obtained for selected WM tracts of interest using the TRACULA pipeline (Yendiki et al. 2011). Composite scores for memory and executive function were calculated. General linear models adjusted for age, sex, education, cardiovascular risk, and group membership were conducted. Due to the exploratory nature of this study, we did not correct for multiple testing.ResultAcross the entire study sample, higher memory performance was associated with DW parameters of the angular bundle of the cingulum (higher FA, p=0.004; lower MD, p=0.019). Higher FA of the anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) was related to a lower memory score (p=0.049). Higher executive function was related to DW metrics of the uncinate fasciculus (UNC) (higher FA, p=0.038; lower MD, p=0.034) and of the ATR (lower MD, p&lt;0.001). Within SCD subjects, MD of the UNC was positively associated with positive stress coping strategies (p=0.005).ConclusionOur findings suggest that higher memory performance and executive functions are associated with favourable tract‐specific DW parameters in pre‐dementia stages of AD. The relationship of higher positive stress coping with WM microstructural alterations in SCD (i.e., increased MD of the UNC) might be explained by psychological compensatory mechanisms in the presence of early WM pathology. Further investigation is needed to elucidate possible clinical implications of these findings.

Willingness to Compete: Family Matters

Introduction. Work performance is defined as a total value of behaviours expected from the employees during evaluation performed within a specified time. According to the basic and dichotomous division, performance refers to behaviours of employees (behavioural), and the results of their work. In addition, the researchers differentiate: task performance, contextual performance and adaptive performance. Results. Since the 1960s, many international researchers have been engaged in problems concerning the performance of work of nursing staff. Until today, the above-mentioned scope of problems remains up-to-date, but has been poorly recognized in Polish literature [1,2,3]. In the international reports the authors prove that the multi-aspect phenomenon of work performance depends on many variables. Many studies confirmed the relationship between job performance and personal traits of the employee, shift work, level of stress, social support, interpersonal relationships, leadership, as well as organizational culture.