English Summaries (02/2024)
Generics and habituality in children’s language – On the development of temporally non-specific expression of time
The study explores the development of temporally non-specific expression of time among Finnish-speaking children aged 2.5–8 years. The data (N = 125 temporally non-specific expressions of time) consists of children’s utterances collected by naturalistic methods and interview. The research method is qualitative: the expressions of time are examined as part of the utterances expressing generic or habitual knowledge, or children’s interactional goals. According to the study, the time expressions that delineate or emphasize generic meanings are easier for children to acquire than habitual frequency expressions. Category formation (concepts of time), social cognition (discursive expressions of time), and event cognition (frequency expressions) were identified as domain-general enablers for the development of temporally non-specific expression of time. The main finding of the study brings forth a new thread to the understanding of the development of children’s expressions of time: The subject children seemed to master the use of those expressions that also conveyed discursive, interaction-driven meanings (aina ‘always’, ikinä ‘ever’) under the age of three years, while expressions with no such discursive meanings (harvoin ‘rarely’) were not acquired until school age.
Keywords: categorization, generics, habituality, event cognition, language acquisition, social cognition, time
What happens in psychotherapy? A grounded theory model of psychotherapy as described by clients
Psychotherapy has often been approached in research from medicalistic assumptions or framework-oriented perspectives. Examining psychotherapy from the perspectives of clients has been limited. The aim of this study was to understand, based on clients’ descriptions, what happens in psychotherapy and thereby open up a different perspective on understanding the phenomenon. The research material consisted of short free-form essays written by clients (N = 30) about their own therapy at the end of their therapy process with one psychotherapist. The therapist served as both the researcher and the clients’ therapist. The methodological basis of the study was grounded theory. Based on the analysis conducted, a grounded theory model of psychotherapy emerged as a process of “Interactive Self-Discovery”. The study provides an example of examining factors in psychotherapy that are independent of theoretical frameworks.
Keywords: psychotherapy, common factors, client description, grounded theory
Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scales at work: Assessment of the measure
Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scales (BPNSFS) has recently been criticized for its psychometric structure and content validity. In the present study, the psychometric structure and validity of the Finnish translation of the measure adapted to work context were examined. The factor structure and associations between satisfaction and frustration of the basic psychological needs, exhaustion and work engagement were studied with structural equation models in a large heterogenous working sample (N = 706). According to the results, the fit of the original six-factor model is satisfactory and the associations between the needs, exhaustion and work engagement are mostly as expected. However, examined models containing method factors with variable number of need factors fit at least equally well. The Finnish BPNSFS adapted to work context can be used especially in measuring the satisfaction of basic psychological needs. Researchers should be aware of the potential problems related to the factor structure and the content of the frustration items influencing validity when measuring need frustration. However, if need frustration items are omitted, explanatory power concerning negative phenomena may be substantially reduced.
Keywords: self-determination theory, basic psychological needs, autonomy, need frustration