Papers by MICHELLE TYTHERLEIGH
Psychoneuroendocrinology, Jul 1, 2004
The effects of corticosteroids on memory performance have been the subject of some controversy. W... more The effects of corticosteroids on memory performance have been the subject of some controversy. Whilst many studies have shown that high levels of corticosteroids can impair memory performance, others have shown they can facilitate it. One explanation for these discrepant effects arises from the differential activation of the two types of corticosteroid receptor--the mineralocorticoid receptor (MRs) and the glucocorticoid receptor (GRs), and the function each subserves during memory formation. Studies in rats and chickens suggest that activation of the MRs is essential during sensory storage (i.e. encoding), whereas normal levels of activation of the GRs (in addition to the already activated MRs) is essential during memory consolidation and retrieval. By using a repeated measures design with nine people with Addison's disease (mean age, 37.9 years), the effects following activation of the MRs only, GRs only, and a combination of MRs/GRs, on working memory and the episodic and semantic components of declarative memory were investigated. MRs and GRs were activated using either MR specific (9 alpha fluorohydrocortisone) or GR specific (dexamethasone) exogenous steroids, respectively. The results showed that participants performed better in the Digits Backward task when both receptors were activated compared to when GRs only were activated (P<0.01). They also performed better in recall in the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test when both receptors were activated compared to when MRs only were activated (P<0.05) and GRs only were activated (P<0.01). Whilst significant effects were not consistent across memory tasks, these results lend further support to the view that balanced activation of MRs and GRs is necessary for optimal memory function in humans.
SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DXN058079 / BLDSC - British Libra... more SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DXN058079 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo
Frontiers in Psychology, 2020
Mental health in schools has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. Positive Psychology In... more Mental health in schools has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) in secondary schools have been shown to improve mental health outcomes for students. Previous PPIs have tended to be delivered by trained Psychology specialists or have tended to focus on a single aspect of Positive Psychology such as Mindfulness. The current study involved 2 phases. Phase 1 was a pilot PPI, delivered by current university students in Psychology, which educated secondary school students (N = 90) in a variety of Positive Psychology concepts. Phase 2 involved delivering the PPI to secondary school students (N = 1,054). This PPI, the Hummingbird Project, led to improvements in student well-being, as measured by the World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5). The intervention also led to improvements in student resilience, as measured by the Bolton Uni-Stride Scale (BUSS), and hope, as measured by the Children's Hope Scale (CHS). Results are discussed in the context of their implications for the future of psychological intervention in secondary school settings.
SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 2003
Whilst there is no denying that levels of occupational stress in staff working in universities an... more Whilst there is no denying that levels of occupational stress in staff working in universities and colleges are increasing, academic staff, in particular, continue to maintain a level of satisfaction from their jobs. A stratified random sample of staff working in 14 higher education institutions in England was used. The results showed that, whilst commitment was lower and levels of occupational stress were significantly higher with regard to work relationships, control and resources and communication, compared to the normative data, staff reported significantly lower levels of stress relating to work-life balance, overload, and job dissatisfaction. Compared to normative data, participants reported significantly lower levels of physical ill-health and psychological outcomes of stress. The results support previous findings identifying a protective effect of job satisfaction against the negative consequences of workplace stress. Opsomming Terwyl dit nie ontken word dat die vlak van wer...
Purpose. Support group attendance has been found to be beneficial to cancer survivors' psychologi... more Purpose. Support group attendance has been found to be beneficial to cancer survivors' psychological wellbeing. This research explores the patient-reported efficacy of 'Living Life after Cancer Treatment' programme for cancer survivors who have completed treatment. Method. Two focus groups were conducted including programme participants who were either two weeks or six months post-completion of a structured support group programme. One supporter (caregiver) who had recently completed the programme was also interviewed. Results were analysed using a Framework Analysis approach. Results. Five themes were identified. In 'Meeting unmet social support needs', participants identified the importance of emotionally offloading without overburdening their families. Though not all participants benefitted from all information provided, in 'Meeting unmet informational needs' they reported that they could see how it benefitted others. In 'The benefit of belonging to a group' participants reported that smaller group discussions were particularly helpful in terms of developing peer-support. 'Looking to the future' was important and the programme was sufficient to meet some participant's needs; others, however, were keen to continue accessing similar support. In 'Programme evaluation' participants advocated the continuation of the programme, but many believed that it should be implemented sooner after diagnosis. Conclusions. The programme is a valuable resource with survivors and supporters finding benefit in attending. Meeting previously unmet social support and informational needs is a chief outcome of this programme, echoing previous research. The findings are being used to inform development of this programme for both local and wider implementation.
This paper contributes to literature by giving more precise measures to technological innovation ... more This paper contributes to literature by giving more precise measures to technological innovation in order to estimate its economic value and assess its impact on the financial performance of companies in Europe. Focus is given to European patent system which is different from the American one. Financial and innovation data are collected during 1990-2012, for 599 companies belonging to 15 industries. According to market value approach, the relationship between market-to-book ratio and knowledge assets is proved to be positive and significant. Innovation is more valuable when it contributes to wider knowledge transfer, has larger geographical and technological scopes and radical character.
South African Journal of Higher Education, 2008
The objective of this study is to investigate the relationships between burnout, ill health, job ... more The objective of this study is to investigate the relationships between burnout, ill health, job demands and resources, and dispositional optimism in a higher education institution in South Africa. A survey design was used. The study population (N = 279) consisted of academic staff working in a higher education institution. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey, The Life Orientation Test-Revised, Job Demands-Resources Scale and the Health subscale of the ASSET were used as measuring instruments. A good fit was found for a model in which burnout (exhaustion and cynicism) mediated the relationship between perceived high job demands and low availability of job resources, and ill health. Dispositional optimism had direct effects on burnout and ill health.
Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2000
An investigation was conducted to explore the relationship between acute changes in cortisol and ... more An investigation was conducted to explore the relationship between acute changes in cortisol and memory and attention in the context of an acute naturalistic stressor, namely, examination stress. Sixty students (36 male, 24 female) participated in an assessment of self-reported levels of stress, salivary cortisol, short term memory, selective and divided attention and auditory verbal working memory. Assessments were conducted during a non-exam and exam period. The results revealed that the exam period was associated with an increase in perceived levels of stress, but also a significant reduction in levels of salivary cortisol, compared with the nonexam period. This reduction in cortisol was associated with enhanced short-term memory (as measured by the total number of words recalled in a free recall task), impaired attention and an impairment in the primacy effect (a hippocampal-specific index of short term memory), but no significant effects on auditory verbal working memory. It was concluded that the results support the view that cortisol can modulate cognitive processes and that the effects of corticosteroids on cognitive function are selective.
International Journal of Stress Management, 2007
International Journal of Stress Management, 2010
We present an analysis of archive data collected using the ASSET (Cartwright & Cooper, 2002) from... more We present an analysis of archive data collected using the ASSET (Cartwright & Cooper, 2002) from a stratified sample of employees (N ϭ 2,005) working in higher education institutions in the United Kingdom in 2003. We hypothesized that employees working in gender-incongruent roles would report higher levels of work-related stress, poorer health, and lower organizational commitment compared with those working in gender-congruent roles. Interpreted in accordance with the role strain hypotheses, we found that women working in genderincongruent roles reported significantly higher (p Ͼ .01) levels of stress, higher levels of minor ill-health problems, and lower levels of perceived commitment from their organizations compared with all other employees. Conversely, men who worked in gender-incongruent roles often reported the lowest levels of stress. The implications of these findings are discussed with reference to women's progression in U.K. higher education.
Higher Education Research & Development, 2005
are frequently reported by academic staff in both UK and overseas universities. Excessive adminis... more are frequently reported by academic staff in both UK and overseas universities. Excessive administrative work (Kinman, 1998), lack of promotion opportunities (Kinman, 1996); inadequate salaries (Daniels & Guppy, 1994a, b); role ambiguity (Winter & Sarros, 2002); diminishing resources, increased teaching loads and student:staff ratios; pressure to attract external funds, job insecurity; poor management; and lack of recognition and reward (Winefield et al., 2003) have also been reported. Nonacademic general university staff also reported job insecurity and lack of promotion opportunities. Differences in occupational stress have also been identified according to category of employee, functional role and university type. In their study of 17 Australian universities, Winefield et al. (2003) investigated the effects of occupational stress in five categories of academic staff (research only; teaching only; teaching and research; Heads of Department; and Deans or above) and four categories of 'general' staff (professionals-e.g. accountants, clerical/administrative and technical, and service-e.g. cleaners, security and hospitality). A comparison of the mean scores for 11 work measures and negative affectivity by category of employee found that job satisfaction was low in academic staff (relative to other occupational groups), but at average levels for general staff. Moreover, while most academic staff reported being dissatisfied with university management, hours of work, industrial relations, chance of promotion and rates of pay, most general staff were only dissatisfied with lack of promotion opportunities. Winefield et al. also found differences according to functional role between academic and general categories. In particular, academics and professionals reported higher levels of work pressure and work-home conflict compared to clerical/administrative, technical and service staff. However, academics and professionals also reported significantly higher levels of job satisfaction compared to technical and service staff. In contrast, service and technical staff reported higher levels of job insecurity compared to professionals and clerical/administrative staff. Winefield et al. further divided the universities into four main categories to compare mean scores by university type. Old universities were those established between 1853 and 1911, Middle universities were those established between 1954 and 1974, New universities comprised former Colleges of Advanced Education established between
Higher Education, 2007
While not the only title used by UK university leaders, the term Vice Chancellor will be used thr... more While not the only title used by UK university leaders, the term Vice Chancellor will be used throughout this paper to include the other titles used (including Rector, Provost, Principal and President). According to data obtained pre-1997, UK Vice Chancellors (VCs) were predominantly scientists, largely former professors, Pro-VCs or deputy directors in universities, with only a few recruited from industry
European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 2007
... The psychological impact of merger and acquisition on the individual: A study of buildingsoci... more ... The psychological impact of merger and acquisition on the individual: A study of buildingsociety managers. Human Relations , 46: 327347. ... The psychological impact of merger andacquisition on the individual: A study of building society managers. ...
Applied Psychology, 2007
... She examined the direct and indirect effects of two job conditionscontrol and complexity ...... more ... She examined the direct and indirect effects of two job conditionscontrol and complexity ... in their perceptions of stressors at work, the direction of this relationship is unclear ... and stamped addressed envelope, with full instructions to return completed questionnaires direct to the ...
Psychology in the Schools, 2021
Children spend more time in school than in any other formal setting and, with mental illness in c... more Children spend more time in school than in any other formal setting and, with mental illness in children on the rise, there is more pressure on schools to intervene in student mental health than ever before. In the current study, two phases of semistructured interviews were conducted with school leaders and special educational needs coordinators (Phase 1, N = 23; Phase 2, N = 11), to investigate first-hand experiences in dealing with student mental illness. Thematic analysis, drawing on Grounded Theory, was used to identify themes. The results identified deprivation as one of the main causes of mental ill-health in students, with insufficient budgets, inappropriate mental health services, and overly long waiting times as barriers to intervention. Difficulties in identifying appropriate mental health interventions to use in school were also reported. The authors propose a simple four-point heuristic, for assessing the quality of school-based mental health interventions to be used by school staff, so that educators can more readily identify appropriate mental health support for their students.
Higher Education, 2010
With key performance indicators (KPIs) part of everyday life in the higher education (HE) sector,... more With key performance indicators (KPIs) part of everyday life in the higher education (HE) sector, universities have become increasingly concerned with league tables and performance indicator-led strategy and planning. The choice an institution makes concerning the KPIs it wishes to be evaluated on depends on its mission and objectives, with a Head of Institution (VC) appointed to deliver against this. As such, this raises the question as to whether institutional performance can be related in any way to the characteristics of its leader. The purpose of this research, therefore, was to identify any empirical justification for the socio-demographic characteristics which those responsible for searching and appointing VCs appear to have favoured over the past 10 years. Also, whether these can be shown to be related to the performance of their institutions. Using data available in the public domain and for UK (excluding Scotland) VCs in service for, at least, some time during 1999–2004 in...
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Papers by MICHELLE TYTHERLEIGH