Showing papers by "Bowling Green State University published in 1995"

The ASA framework: An update.

Abstract: In 1987, B. Schneider proposed a person-oriented model of organizational behavior based on the proposition that it is the collective characteristics of people who define an organization. He further proposed that, over time, organizations become defined by the persons in them as a natural outcome of an attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) cycle. We provide a brief overview of the ASA cycle and review literature relevant to two facets of the theory. The literature reviewed provides some indirect support for the proposal that founders and the members of top management have long-term effects on organizations through the ASA cycle. The literature reviewed provides both indirect and direct evidence supporting a central proposition of ASA theory–that organizations over time become relatively homogeneous with regard to the kinds of people in them. Suggestions for future research on ASA are presented.

On the interchangeability of objective and subjective measures of employee performance: a meta-analysis

Abstract: A meta-analysis of studies containing both objective and subjective ratings of employee performance resulted in a corrected mean correlation of .389. This value, although significantly greater than zero, indicates that objective and subjective performance measures should not be used interchangeably. Moreover, in no moderator subgroup examined did the correlation suggest convergent validity. After discussing issues related to resolving the previous anomalies of primary and meta-analytic results, a secondary analysis suggested that objective and subjective measures of the same construct at the same level may be used inter-changeably. The secondary analysis, however, was based on a very limited sample. Future research should address the appropriate dimensionality of employee performance.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the styles of handling interpersonal conflict: first-order factor model and its invariance across groups.

Abstract: Confirmatory factor analysis of data (from 5 samples, n = 484 full-time employed management students; « = 550 public administrators;« = 214 university administrators; n = 250 bank managers and employees in Bangladesh; and n = 578 managers and employees) on the 28 items of the Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory—II were performed with LISREL 7. The results provided support for the convergent and discriminant validities of the subscales measuring the 5 styles of handling interpersonal conflict (integrating, obliging, dominating, avoiding, and compromising) and general support for the in variance of the 5-factor model across referent roles (i.e., superiors, subordinates, and peers), organizational levels (top, middle, lower, and nonmanagement), and 4 of the 5 samples.

The emotional sources of "chills" induced by music.

Abstract: Music modifies moods and emotions by interacting with brain mechanisms that remain to be identified. One powerful emotional effect induced by music is a shivery, gooseflesh type of skin sensation (commonly called "chills" or "thrills"), which may reflect the brain9s ability to extract specific kinds of emotional meaning from music. A large survey indicated that college-age students typically prefer to label this phenomenon as "chills" rather than "thrills," but many mistakenly believe that happiness in music is more influential in evoking the response than sadness. A series of correlational studies analyzing the subjective experience of chills in groups of students listening to a variety of musical pieces indicated that chills are related to the perceived emotional content of various selections, with much stronger relations to perceived sadness than happiness. As a group, females report feeling more chills than males do. Because feelings of sadness typically arise from the severance of established social bonds, there may exist basic neurochemical similarities between the chilling emotions evoked by music and those engendered by social loss. Further study of the "chill" response should help clarify how music interacts with a specific emotional process of the normal human brain.

The Effects of Four Components of Parental Involvement on Eighth-Grade Student Achievement: Structural Analysis of NELS-88 Data

Abstract: The present research was undertaken to assess the effects of different components of parental involvement on the academic achievement of eighth graders. Four components of parental involvement cons...

Self-Esteem: Research, Theory, and Practice

Abstract: The meaning and structure of self-esteem self-esteem research problems and issues self-esteem research findings - building a consensus major self-esteem theories and programmes a phenomenological theory of self-esteem enhancing self-esteem phenomenologically.

Religion and Spirituality as Resources for Coping with Cancer

Abstract: Studies of coping with cancer have often included variables concerned with religion or spirituality. Unfortunately, the variables chosen have generally had limited salience for the overall coping process and limited usefulness for the development of clinical interventions. Despite these drawbacks, existing research suggests that religious and spiritual coping may have positive impacts on cancer patients' adjustment, and some evidence exists that suggests ways in which religion and spirituality may fit into the coping process. Considerations in the selection of better measures and more useful conceptualizations of religious or spiritual coping are offered as well as suggestions for more beneficial assessments of religious or spiritual functioning in clinical contexts.

Why Marry? Race and the Transition to Marriage among Cohabitors*

Abstract: Our study investigates the transition to first marriage among cohabiting black and white men and women, drawing on data from the National Survey of Families and Households. Our results underscore the importance of economic factors on the transition to marriage for both black and white cohabitors. We also find that for black cohabitors, but not for whites, socioeconomic disadvantage during childhood reduces the odds of marriage. The presence of children in cohabiting unions tends to increase the chances of marrying a cohabiting partner for both blacks and whites. Our results demonstrate the importance of including cohabitation in research on the marriage process.

Merely a Defense? The Variety of Religious Means and Ends

Abstract: This paper examines the validity of the view that religion is a defense, a mechanism designed to reduce tension by avoiding a threatening situation rather than confronting it. Empirical and theoretical literature is reviewed suggesting that tension reduction is one but not the only motivation for religious involvement. Additional evidence also indicates that religion is not simply a form of denial, not merely a passive form of coping, and not solely associated with resistance to social change. In contrast to the religion as defense stereotype, religion appears to serve many different purposes and does so in many different ways. It may be more helpful to think of religion as a way of coping, effectively or ineffectively, with life's most difficult problems than as a defensive reaction to trouble. This more differentiated perspective leads to more refined questions about the factors that determine the shape of religion. It also underscores the need for a greater appreciation of the potentially helpful and harmful roles religion can play in the life of the individual and the community. Finally, it points to new opportunities for collaboration between those psychological and religious communities that share a respect for diversity, the dignity of the individual, and social justice.

The effectiveness of corporate communicative responses to accusations of unethical behavior

Abstract: When corporations are accused of unethical behaviour by external actors, executives from those organizations are usually compelled to offer communicative responses to defend their corporate image. To demonstrate the effect that corporate executives' communicative responses have on third parties' perception of corporate image, we present the Corporate Communicative Response Model in this paper. Of the five potential communicative responses contained in this model (no response, denial, excuse, justification, and concession), results from our empirical test demonstrate that a concession is the most effective and robust communicative option.

The consumer retail search process: A conceptual model and research agenda

Abstract: Consumers are continually faced with the task of finding their way through a wide variety of retail environments. Surprisingly, very little research has addressed questions about how consumers physically search through retail settings. This article explores this important, yet little researched behavior. A conceptual model of the consumer’s retail search process (CRSP) and several research propositions are advanced. The CRSP model integrates research findings relevant to an understanding of consumer retail search behavior. Literature from such diverse fields of scientific inquiry as environmental psychology, human factors, architecture, and marketing are reviewed and serve as the theoretical basis of the CRSP model.

Bringing Japanese Continuous Improvement Approaches to U.S. Manufacturing: The Roles of Process Orientation and Communications*

Abstract: Continuous improvement (CI) has played a key role in Japan's quality management. U.S. companies have begun to adopt CI in recent years. This paper studies the implementation of CI in seven U.S. manufacturing companies. We view values as the core concept of culture that impacts CI effectiveness. Using both qualitative and quantitative data with a sample of seven companies, we observe empirically a relationship between process-oriented values and CI effectiveness. We also find that communications involving workers is strongly associated with CI effectiveness. Finally, we find an association between process orientation and communication frequency, and argue that communications act as an intervening variable between process orientation and effectiveness.

Teaching for Understanding: A Model for Improving Decision Making During Game Play

Abstract: A predominant area of instruction in school physical education programs is game play. Effective decision making is important to the successful execution of skills. Unfortunately, the task of teaching effective decision making in varying game situations is not easy. The demands of the game require far more than simply physical skillfulness. Game play is interwoven with numerous decision-making opportunities for the participant. Successful game players must make these decisions in an effective and timely manner. The purpose of this article is to compare two models of game instruction: the technique model and the “games for understanding” model. This analysis indicates that the games for understanding model provides a more viable way of teaching strategic decision making for game players. Included will be discussions on the various theories that contrast the two approaches. A final section provides suggestions for future research into the validity of the “games for understanding model.”

Alcohol expectancies, coping responses and self-efficacy judgments: a replication and extension of Copper et al.'s 1988 study in a college sample.

Abstract: Objective: Social learning theory models of alcohol use have assumed an increasingly influential role in recent years. Despite their growing popularity, research on social learning theory models has focused almost exclusively on establishing the independent links among particular aspects of theory and indices of alcohol use and abuse. In response to the need for research that incorporates multiple aspects of theory into a testable framework, this article endeavored to replicate and extend the Copper et al. study in a college sample (Cooper, Russell and George, J. Abnorm. Psychol. Vol. 97, pp. 218-230, 1988). Method: Subjects were 157 college student volunteers from a large midwestern university. Standard hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to examine both the simultaneous and incremental contributions of self-efficacy judgments, alcohol expectancies and coping responses to dependent measures of alcohol use and alcohol-related problem behaviors. Results: Collectively, 22% of the variance in...

Bayesian residual analysis for binary response regression models

Abstract: SUMMARY In a binary response regression model, classical residuals are difficult to define and interpret due to the discrete nature of the response variable In contrast, Bayesian residuals have continuous-valued posterior distributions which can be graphed to learn about outlying observations Two definitions of Bayesian residuals are proposed for binary regression data Plots of the posterior distributions of the basic 'observed - fitted' residuals can be helpful in outlier detection Alternatively, the notion of a tolerance random variable can be used to define latent data residuals that are functions of the tolerance random variables and the parameters In the probit setting, these residuals are attractive in that a priori they are a sample from a standard normal distribution, and therefore the corresponding posterior distributions are easy to interpret These residual definitions are illustrated in examples and contrasted with classical outlier detection methods for binary data

Unpredictability of correlated response to selection: pleiotropy and sampling interact.

Abstract: Given a set of loci that contribute additive genetic variation for a trait being selected, the pleiotropic effects of these loci on a second trait may vary. I simulated selection on genetic systems having different combinations of pleiotropic effects to investigate the variability of correlated responses to selection. The simulation shows that there are many possible combinations of pleiotropic effects that are characterized by the same value of the genetic correlation; the genetic correlation does not uniquely determine a set of pleiotropic effects. Furthermore, for a given value of the genetic correlation, differences in pleiotropic effects have a substantial impact on the variation in correlated responses. Some combinations of pleiotropic effects constrain correlated response to a narrow range of possible values; others allow a wide range, including some correlated responses in a direction opposite the sign of the genetic correlation. The genetic correlation is not a reliable predictor of pleiotropic constraint. Whereas it has been previously established that genetic correlations are not necessarily constraints, the alternative is also true: correlated response can be strictly constrained despite a genetic correlation of zero. Given the frequency of correlated responses in a direction opposite to the one predicted by the genetic correlation, it follows that correlated response is not a reliable predictor of genetic correlation in the base population.

Low-dose naltrexone effects on plasma chemistries and clinical symptoms in autism: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Abstract: The effect of month-long naltrexone (NTX) treatment at a daily oral dose of 0.5 mg/kg/day was contrasted with placebo (PLC) in a double-blind study with conjoint clinical and biochemical evaluations of therapeutic effects. Modest clinical benefits were achieved with both PLC and NTX, with marginally better overall results following NTX, and degree of improvement appeared to be related to plasma chemical profiles. Massively elevated levels of β-endorphin were observed in all children with assays using C-terminal antibody but not with an N-terminal antibody assay. In addition, 70% of the children exhibited abnormally low levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone, and smaller subsets exhibited elevated norepinephrine (60%), arginine-vasopressin (50%), and serotonin (20%). The best clinical responders exhibited the clearest normalization of the elevated plasma chemistries, especially in C-terminal-β-endorphin and serotonin. There was some evidence of therapeutic carry-over effects in both clinical and biochemical measures in those children who received NTX before PLC. The results suggest that NTX only benefits a subgroup of autistic children, who may be identified by the presence of certain plasma abnormalities. These results suggest a possible linkage between abnormal plasma chemistries, especially those related to the pro-opiomelanocortin system, and autistic symptoms.

Conceptualizing continuous improvement: Implications for organizational change

Abstract: This paper attempts to bridge the gap in the change conceptions of two different genres of literature. It brings together the literature on continuous improvement in the manufacturing field and the literature on organization change in the fields of strategic change and organization development. In the latter literature, studies describe both dramatic and discontinuous changes and disjointed but logical incremental changes. These changes are considered the territory of the top management. The continuous improvement concepts emphasize incremental changes that are continuous, concerted, and accumulative. In this case, workers are considered to play a key role in making changes. The two genres of literature are brought together to formulate a more comprehensive framework of organizational change, in which continuous incremental changes and dramatic and discontinuous changes can coexist and interrelate for more effective change processes in organizations. An example of the implementation of statistical process control illustrates this point.

Topographical and temporal patterns of brain activity during the transition from wakefulness to sleep.

Abstract: Changes in electroencephalographic (EEG) spectral power, coherence and frequency were examined for the last minute of wakefulness and the first minute of sleep via topographical mapping. Data were also analyzed across sequential 1-minute samples of wake, stage 1 and stage 2 sleep. Not all brain regions exhibited the same EEG changes during the transition and not all brain regions were found to change at the same time. Brain sites closest to the midline (e.g. F4, C4, P4, O2) showed significant changes in EEG power (increases in theta and decreases in alpha power) during the transition to sleep, whereas brain sites most lateral to the midline (e.g. Fp2, F8, T4) showed little change. Decreases in alpha coherence were observed from wakefulness to sleep for brain site comparisons furthest away from each other (e.g. T3 vs. T4, T5 vs. T6, F7 vs. F8, F3 vs. O1, F4 vs. O2). Spectral analysis of EEG activity revealed that the time of significant change in EEG power varies among brain regions. Decreases in alpha power continued to occur later into the transition period for the posterior regions of the brain (O2, P4).

Coital frequency among married and cohabiting couples in the United States

Abstract: Coital frequency is studied among couples as a function of marital or cohabiting status, relationship duration, number of children, religious affiliation, income, education, fertility intentions, age, race, self-assessed health, time spent in work, and perceived relationship quality. Data are from the 1987-88 National Survey of Families and Households. Predictors of coital frequency that were stable across several analyses were male's and female's ages, the duration of the relationship, and the male partner's self-assessed health. When the discrepancy in partners'reports was adjusted, cohabitation status, number of children, future fertility intentions, religious affiliation, and relationship quality as assessed by the female partner were significant. The results suggest a substantial idiosyncratic component to the determination of coital frequency in relationships

Holographic document and method for forming

Abstract: A holographic composite sheet (10) and method for forming permits the party producing the final document (20) to print the holographic image directly on the final document (20) thereby permitting such party to retain and maintain control of its own holographic embossing die (31) and shim (33) on which the hologram has been formed and which is utilized for embossing the holographic image on the document (20) A film upon which a holographic image can be directly stamped upon the final document (20) includes a release layer (B), a layer of metal (C) having a thickness in the range of 20 millimicrons to 100 millimicrons, a lacquer coating (D) having a thickness in the range of 05 microns to 3 microns, a heat-activatable adhesive (F) and a tie layer (E), to increase the adhesion between the lacquer coating (D) and the adhesive coating (F) The release layer (B), metal layer (C), lacquer coating (D), tie layer (E) and heat-activatable adhesive (F) are caused to be adhered to the substrate forming the final document (20) during a stamping operation which release said release layer (B), metal layer (C), lacquer coating (D), tie layer (E) and heat-activatable adhesive (F) from a plastic carrier film (A) to which it had been initially applied

Green Tobacco Sickness: Occupational Nicotine Poisoning in Tobacco Workers

Abstract: In this study the authors describe the investigation of a 1992 outbreak of green tobacco sickness, a form of nicotine poisoning from dermal exposure, among 47 tobacco workers in a five-county region of central and south-central Kentucky. Cases were identified through medical record searches at participating hospitals, as well as from reports submitted to the Occupational Health Nurses in Agricultural Communities program. A case-control study was undertaken to assess risk factors for green tobacco sickness. In a 20-min telephone interview, 40 cases and 83 controls responded to questions contained in a questionnaire. In 1992, 47 persons (3 were under age 16 y) in the study region sought medical treatment for green tobacco sickness. Twelve persons were hospitalized and 2 required intensive-care treatment. The crude incidence in 1992 was 10.0/1 000 tobacco workers. In 1993, 66 cases (7 were under age 16 y) of green tobacco sickness were identified in the study region (i.e., annual incidence of 14.0/1...

A teacher professional development framework guided by reform policies, teachers’ needs, and research

Abstract: (1995). A teacher professional development framework guided by reform policies, teachers’ needs, and research. Journal of Science Teacher Education: Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 187-196.

Less is more : the effects of sexual experience on judgments of men's and women's personality characteristics and relationship desirability

Abstract: One method available to researchers for examining sexual attitudes is to solicit evaluations of others based on information about sexual experience. Differences in expectations about appropriate sexual behavior of men and women measure the so-called sexual double standard. To test the conditions under which a sexual double standard is endorsed, 110 male and 146 female college students (94% white, 3% black, 3% all other ethnicities) responded to vignettes depicting either a male or female target as having a low or high number of past sexual partners within committed or noncommitted relationships. In general, little support for the endorsement of a sexual double standard was found. However, participants consistently made differential judgments on the basis of sexual experience: Targets described as having more permissive sexual histories received more negative evaluations than did those described as having less permissive sexual histories. Results are discussed in terms of media exploitation of sexual information and support for a relational orientation toward sexual experience.

The Many Meanings of Religiousness: A Policy‐Capturing Approach

Abstract: This article reports the results of two policy-capturing studies that investigated individual differences in the meaning of religiousness. Policy capturing requires judges to respond to a large number of hypothetical scenarios or profiles that differ along a number of potentially relevant cues or attributes. Multiple regression analyses are then conducted to ascertain which cues are influencing each judge's responses. For both studies, 100 profiles were developed describing hypothetical individuals who differed on 10 cues thought to influence perceptions of religiousness (e.g., church attendance, doctrinal orthodoxy), and judges rated each profile on a 9-point religiousness scale. Judges in Study 1 were 27 Roman Catholic and Protestant college students. Policy-capturing analyses identified clear individual differences in the cues that afifected judgments of religiousness, and in the self-insight of the students into their personal policies. To test whether these findings reflected the youth or religious maturity of the sample, the study was replicated with a sample of 22 Catholic and Protestant clergy. Similar results were found in Study 2. In both samples, individual policy capturing did a significantly better job of predicting judgments of religiousness than did self-described policies or policies created by averaging across judges. Together these findings underscore the diversity of religious meanings and the need for further idiographic investigations in the psychology of religion.