Showing papers in "Human Performance in 1988"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed a theoretical framework and model for updating and found that individual characteristics and contextual features would jointly affect perceptions of the job and the climate for updating, and that attempts to influence performance and updating may require modifications to the techno-structural aspects of work.
Abstract: Under conditions of rapid technological innovation, maintaining the technical competence of a firm's human resources becomes critical. This research developed a theoretical framework and model for updating. It was proposed that individual characteristics and contextual features would jointly affect perceptions of the job and the climate for updating. The perceptions would, in mm, mediate the relationship between the contextual features and individual responses of performance and updating. Data gathered from 483 engineers drawn from 220 subunits across seven organizations provided partial support. Context measures were significantly mediated by the perceptions. Individual characteristics, however, were directly linked to performance and updating responses. The results suggest that attempts to influence performance and updating may require modifications to the techno-structural aspects of work.
140 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the relationship between visual search and selective attention is examined to see what assumptions and limitations exist in making these implications and it is revealed that although much of the existing visual search research can be interpreted from within the selective attention notions of pertinence and context, measures of visual orientation alone, as provided by eye-movement recording, are inadequate solitary indicators of the allocation of attention.
Abstract: Visual search data has been frequently used to make direct implications about aspects of selective attention. In the first part of this article, the relationship between visual search and selective attention is examined to see what assumptions and limitations exist in making these implications. It is revealed that although much of the existing visual search research can be interpreted from within the selective attention notions of pertinence and context, measures of visual orientation alone, as provided by eye-movement recording, are inadequate solitary indicators of the allocation of attention. The capacity to make attentional shifts without eye movements, the distinction between looking and seeing, and the unknown role of information processed from the periphery of the retina in dynamic information pick-up emerge as essential limitations in the eye-movement recording approach to assessing selective attention. In the second part of the article, the extent to which visual search strategy, like selective a...
85 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify factors that contribute to two aspects of the decision to terminate employees: the fairness of the individual termination decision and the belief in an implied contract obligating the employer to retain the employee.
Abstract: Using the methodology of policy capturing, this research identifies factors that contribute to two aspects of the decision to terminate employees: the fairness of the individual termination decision and the belief in an implied contract obligating the employer to retain the employee. Adopting the perspective of reasonable third parties, the relative contributions of Time on the Job, Formal Commitments, Reasons for Termination, Severance, and History to beliefs in fairness and obligations were assessed in the decisions of 171 participants in human resource management courses. Time on the Job and Formal Commitments were important factors in beliefs in implied contract obligations. Time on the Job, Formal Commitments, Severance, and Reasons for Termination were important to judgments of fairness. Employability and History did not influence either beliefs of fairness or obligation. These third party perceptions, although suggestive, need not generalize to those of victims in actual termination situations. Thi...
72 citations
TL;DR: In this article, individual differences in component skills are used in examining the characteristics of more and less successful troubleshooters of electronics equipment, and the findings are discussed in terms of new conceptualizations of testing and training complex skill.
Abstract: The analysis of individual differences in component skills is used in examining the characteristics of more and less successful troubleshooters of electronics equipment. In one study, mental models of devices are explored. Skilled individuals' models are much more aligned with a true functional description of the device. Less-skilled individuals exhibit several consistent deficits in their models. In the remaining two studies, skill in executing a simple troubleshooting procedure is examined. Skilled troubleshooters were not only more successful, but results suggested that their errors were computational in nature, whereas less-skilled troubleshooters evidenced conceptual deficits as well. The findings are discussed in terms of new conceptualizations of testing and training complex skill.
60 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the effects of a break (incubation) on solutions to a geometric insight problem and found that subjects receiving an analogical hint during incubation obtained more solutions than continuously working controls.
Abstract: This research examined the effects of a break (incubation) on solutions to a geometric insight problem. Experiment 1 showed that subjects receiving an analogical hint during incubation obtained more solutions than continuously working controls. Experiment 2 tested the hypothesis that incubation effects are due to the total time (including intermittant problem solving during incubation) spent on a problem. Subjects given relaxation instructions and no task during a problem-solving break were more successful than those who worked continuously for 20 min or were given demanding mental work as an intervening task. Self-report data supported the explanation that incubation effects are a result of covert effort and that the effectiveness of an analogical hint depends on the solver's ability to relate it to the problem.
51 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the relationship between constraints and performance, affective reactions, and reenlistment plans in seven Air Force occupational specialties and found that the presence of constraints tended to be associated with decreased satisfaction, increased frustration, and increased thoughts of leaving the Air Force.
Abstract: Our investigation involved the measurement of constraints in a variety of Air Force work settings and the examination of hypothesized relationships between these constraints and performance, affective reactions, and reenlistment plans in seven Air Force occupational specialties. The severity of constraints was found to be mild across the specialties investigated. The presence of constraints tended to be associated with decreased satisfaction, increased frustration, and increased thoughts of leaving the Air Force. However, contrary to expectations, constraints were not related to either performance or intentions to leave.
44 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a secondary task technique was employed with five task pairs that varied in their structural similarity, and the primary task difficulty was time-varying within a trial.
Abstract: Time-sharing performance was evaluated as a function of the structural configurations of the time-shared tasks and strategic resource-allocation training A secondary task technique was employed with five task pairs that varied in their structural similarity The primary task difficulty was time-varying within a trial Consistent with a common finding in the literature, the global performance measures showed that the degree of task interference increased as the degree of shared resources between the time-shared tasks increased The moment-by-moment performance, however, revealed that small task interference did not necessarily indicate that the primary task performance was consistently protected against the time-varying difficulty changes Subjects' failure in protecting the primary task performance was attributed to two possible causes: a skill limitation in the control of resource allocation and a structural limitation inherent in the dual task configuration This distinction was reinforced by the findi
26 citations
TL;DR: Except for memory tasks, accuracy of performance was not affected by any drug dose at any time, and those deficits found at 90 min postdrug intake were not evident at 6 hr or later after drug administration.
Abstract: Forty-nine healthy male volunteers were each given either a placebo or one of three clinically used doses of triazolam (0.125 mg, 0.25 mg, or 0.5 mg) after viewing a film previously demonstrated to increase autonomic arousal. Subjects then attempted to sleep in an environment analogous to that experienced by air travelers. Increased duration and continuity of sleep were associated with the 0.5 mg dose of triazolam. That dose reduced the speed of performing several psychornotor tasks and impaired memory consolidation 90 min after drug administration. Except for memory tasks, accuracy of performance was not affected by any drug dose at any time, and those deficits found at 90 min postdrug intake were not evident at 6 hr or later after drug administration.
15 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the associations between plasma catecholaminc (CA) response and selected performance measures during psychological stress and found that the stress protocol resulted in increased self-reported tension, p ≤ 0.01; confusion, p ≥ 0.
Abstract: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the associations between plasma catecholaminc (CA) response and selected performance measures during psychological stress. Nineteen men (between the ages of 35 and 50) performed a double-conflict (DC) task for 12 min. Self-reported distress resulting from the stress protocol was assessed using the Profile of Mood States and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Performance of the DC task was measured by total reaction time (TRT). Cognitive aftereffects were assessed by the time it took to complete three sets of anagrams administered immediately after the DC task. Plasma CA measures were taken at three intervals during the rest period and the DC task. The stress protocol resulted in increased self-reported tension, p ≤ 0.01; confusion, p ≤ 0.01; and anxiety, p ≤ 0.01; with reduced vigor, p less than or equal to 0.01. The men displayed improved TRT, p less than or equal to 0.01, during the DC task, and they had significantly extended perform...
13 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the effect of practice on the control of sequential and simultaneous multilimb aiming responses was studied and it was found that with practice, the accuracy of the initial propulsive phase of the movement became more precise.
Abstract: The effect of practice on the control of sequential and simultaneous multilimb aiming responses was studied. In one group (n = l0), subjects pushed hand levers and foot pedals 20 deg. (plus or minus 1.5 deg.) forward in the following order: left hand, right hand, left foot, right foot. In the other group (n = l0), all subjects pushed both levers and pedals forward simultaneously for the same distance. The goal for both groups was to reduce movement time (MT). Analysis of the displacement and velocity records showed that sequential movements were made quicker and with fewer movement corrections than simultaneous movements. With practice, both groups reduced the MT and the number of movement corrections, suggesting that the accuracy of the initial propulsive phase of the movement became more precise. In addition, temporal interlimb correlations increased with practice, suggesting the development of a coordination factor related to multilimb movements, but little support was shown for the gear-shift analogy.
13 citations
TL;DR: In this article, two methods of increasing performance rating accuracy (rating format and rater training) were manipulated in a laboratory study using 87 supervisors from a utility company, and the results suggest that: (a) Trait ratings should not be automatically eliminated as a method of performance appraisal, and (b) Rater training programs may need to emphasize both observation and judgment skills irrespective of rating format used.
Abstract: Two methods of increasing performance rating accuracy (rating format and rater training) were manipulated in a laboratory study using 87 supervisors from a utility company. Unexpectedly, traits were rated more accurately than behaviors, rater training did not have a significant effect on accuracy, and the Rating Format times Rater Training interaction was nonsignificant. The results suggest that: (a) Trait Rating scales should not be automatically eliminated as a method of performance appraisal, and (b) rater training programs may need to emphasize both observation and judgment skills irrespective of the rating format used.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the hypothesis that aggregating measures of goal-setting behaviors across repeated observations on a particular task and across diverse tasks would increase the correlations found between self-esteem and these behavioral criteria.
Abstract: Past research suggests that personality variables have little effect on work behaviors. To illustrate a more productive method of conducting personality research in organizational behavior, our study examines the hypothesis that aggregating measures of goal-setting behaviors across repeated observations on a particular task and across diverse tasks would increase the correlations found between self-esteem and these behavioral criteria. Subjects set goals and performed three trials on card sorting, anagrams, addition, and creativity tasks. Aggregating across trials on a particular task had only modest effects on the correlations of self-esteem with goals and performance. Aggregating across tasks and trials had a pronounced effect, particularly across the anagram and creativity tasks. The implications of these results for future personality research in organizational behavior are discussed.
TL;DR: One of two little league baseball teams, consisting of boys between the ages of 8 and 12, was taught to hit a baseball using a chaining-mastery program extrapolated from the "Total Golf" (Simek & O... as mentioned in this paper ).
Abstract: One of two little league baseball teams, consisting of boys between the ages of 8 and 12, was taught to hit a baseball using a chaining-mastery program extrapolated from the "Total Golf" (Simek & O...
TL;DR: The authors found that cognitive style may significantly affect rating accuracy, and the correlation between cognitive style and rating accuracy was significant, p >.05, suggesting that cognitive styles may affect rating accuracies.
Abstract: It was hypothesized that raters whose cognitive style was more articulated would respond more accurately than raters whose cognitive style was more global when an overall rating scale was used. Ninety-five undergraduates participated as raters. They read vignettes describing four hypothetical psychology instructors, rated the instructors on an overall rating scale, and completed the Group Embedded Figures Test, a measure of cognitive style. The correlation between cognitive style and rating accuracy (r = -24) was significant, p > .05, suggesting that cognitive style may significantly affect rating accuracy.
TL;DR: This paper explored the effects of contextual factors that may moderate differences between the performance ratings and pay allocations of male and female raters, and found that sex effects on performance ratings were moderated by contextual variables.
Abstract: This study examined the relationships among objective performance, performance ratings, and pay allocations made by male and female managers. Because rater sex has been found to affect performance ratings and pay allocations, but little research has explored the causes of these sex differences, this study explored the effects of contextual factors that may moderate differences between the performance ratings and pay allocations of male and female raters. Two hundred twenty-nine managers assigned performance ratings and merit pay allocations to performance profiles that varied in levels of objective performance. It was found that: (a) sex effects on performance ratings were moderated by contextual variables, and b) sex and objective performance did not influence merit pay allocations independent of their separate effects on performance ratings.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used objective measures taken from organizational documents as well as subjective ratings of literature-based hypothetical constructs to predict job-value judgments in a public sector setting (U.S. Army).
Abstract: Recent researchers in both comparable worth and utility analysis literatures have noted the need for an increased understanding of the correlates of job-level estimates of the overall value of job performance. In a public sector setting (U.S. Army), the current research described here demonstrates that such judgments can be predicted to a substantial degree. Useful predictors include objective measures taken from organizational documents as well as subjective ratings of literature-based hypothetical constructs. The usefulness of these prediction models is discussed both as a tool for organizational analysis and in terms of the multidisciplinary nature of overall job-value judgments.