Showing papers in "Journal of Applied Psychology in 1971"

Price, brand name, and product composition characteristics as determinants of perceived quality.

Abstract: While price and brand image have both been found to be determiners of product quality perception, the potency of these two cues has never been directly compared. Moreover, those studies which found price to be a determiner of perceived quality manipulated only price information, without permitting actual composition characteristics to vary across brands. A 2X2X2X3 factorial experiment, using 136 adult male beer drinkers, and four test beers, examined the effects of price, composition differences, and brand image cues on the perception of beer quality. Price was found to serve as an indicant of product quality when it was the only cue available but not when embedded in a multicue setting. Brand image had a stronger effect upon quality perception, particularly for brands with strong positive images. In addition, it was found that neither price nor brand name had significant effects on perceived quality except when product composition characteristics were allowed to vary between product samples. Last, in contrast to earlier findings, the data suggest that beer drinkers possess at least some ability to distinguish among different brands of beer on the basis of composition (i.e., taste and aroma) cues alone. As the literature on perceived risk (cf. Cox, 1967) clearly demonstrates, consumer purchase decisions are frequently made under conditions of varying uncertainty regarding the product and its attributes. To reduce such uncertainty, consumers seek and process information regarding the product and generally attempt to form accurate impressions of it. Given that products may be viewed "as an array of cues," the "consumer's task in evaluating a product is to use cues from the array as the basis for making judgments about the product (Cox, 1962, p. 413)." One impression usually of considerable importance to the consumer is the product's (or brand's) quality. Cues relevant to forming impressions of quality include (a) price; (b) product composition characteristics such as taste, aroma, color, style, and size; (c) packaging; (d) brand, manufacturer (i.e., corporate), and store image; (e) advertising; (f) word-ofmouth reports; and (g) past purchase experi

Development of the survey of work values

Abstract: A series of scales measuring attitudes toward work was developed. The Survey of Work Values (SWV) was based on a number of dimensions of Protestant Ethic, specifically those aspects that deal with the meaning that an individual attaches to his role at work. The content validity of the items was established by the reallocation method of scaling. Items were analyzed to determine the best method of scoring and to select items for the subscales according to the internal consistencies and independence of the subscales. Unweighted, multipoint scoring was selected for 54 items. SWV scores discriminated among occupational groups and correlated with background characteristics of employed and disadvantaged persons. The purpose of this research was to construct a set of scales measuring several areas of work values. The Survey of Work Values (SWV) is intended to be an index of a person's attitudes toward work in general, rather than his feelings about a specific job. The concept of work values, referring to general attitudes regarding the meaning that an individual attaches to his work role, therefore, differs from that of job satisfaction (an attitude toward one's own job). A few scales have been constructed for the purpose of measuring work values (StefHre, 1959; Super, 1957, 1962) and occupational values (Kilpatrick, Cummings, & Jennings, 1964; Rosenberg, 1957). Although these measures have been carefully developed, they seem to be extremely global. The SWV differs from previous scales3 in that it is directed toward separate areas of values and is limited to the construct of secularized Protestant Ethic with which work values seem to be closely linked. The principal aspects of Protestant Ethic as described by Weber (1958) are individualism, asceticism, and industriousness. The emphasis placed on a man's industriousness probably represents the most critical aspect of Protes

Effects of contingent and noncontingent reward on the relationship between satisfaction and task performance

Abstract: It was proposed that there is no inherent relationship between satisfaction and productivity, and that relationships between the two variables are highly dependent upon performance-reward contingencies . Ninety 5s performed a task for 1 hr. A monetary reward was then delivered to 21 of 42 high performers and 21 of 42 low performers. The 5s next completed self-report measures of satisfaction and attitudes and performed the same task for another hour. Correlations between self-reports of satisfaction and second-hour productivity over all 5s was .00. Significant positive correlations, however, were found between satisfaction and productivity of appropriately reinforced 5s (rewarded high performers and nonrewarded low performers) while significant negative correlations were found for inappropriately reinforced 5s (rewarded low performers and nonrewarded high performers). Many current speculations on the relationship between worker satisfaction and task performance, as reviewed by Schwab and Cummings (1970), still imply that performance and satisfaction are causally related in one direction or the other. Some theorists have now added moderating variables to their behavioral formulas in hopes of facilitating the prediction of one variable from the other. In contrast, the present authors postulate not only that (a) there is no inherent relationship between satisfaction and performance, but also that (b) one can produce about any empirical relationship between task performance and self-reports of satisfaction that one wishes. The first proposition is consistent with the conclusions of empirical reviews such as Brayfield and Crockett (1955) and with theoretical positions such as those of Porter and Lawler (1968). The second proposition was derived from operational proposals by Skinner (1969) and Bandura (1969) and from speculations by a variety of reinforcement theorists (e.g., Berlyne, 1967; Bindra, 1968; Rescorla & Solomon, 1967; and Weiskrantz, 1968).

Recognition of human faces: effects of target exposure time, target position, pose position, and type of photograph.

Abstract: Three experiments investigated Ss' ability to recognize a target person (whom they had previously seen) in a test series of ISO pictures of faces. The longer the original exposure to the target and the earlier the target picture appeared in the test series, the greater the probability of recognition. The pose position in the test series (front, profile, or portrait view) and the type of photograph (color or black and white) did not affect recognition. These results have implications for procedures used by law enforcement agencies in the process of a witness attempting to identify a criminal from a set of mug shots. The last 10 yr. have witnessed a tremendous upsurge in psychological research on human memory. More recently, a great deal of this research has focused on visual memory or imagery. A general finding is that when people do form visual images of things to be remembered, retention is remarkably better than when images are not formed (Bower, 1970; Paivio, 1969).

Job content and context factors related to satisfaction for different occupational levels

Abstract: Herzberg's theory was tested using Darley and Hagenah's rationale relative to occupational level. Ratings of satisfaction and importance for the job content and context factors and overall job satisfaction were obtained from 200 engineers and 153 assemblers. The proposed job factor dichotomy was not supported. However, satisfaction with the content factors made the greatest contribution to overall job satisfaction, regardless of occupational level. Conversely, ratings of job factor importance were a function of occupational level; content aspects were most important for engineers, and context for assemblers. Several demographic variables failed to influence the findings. The conclusion is that both theories represent oversimplifications. Recent job satisfaction research has been strongly influenced by the theory proposed by Herzberg, Mausner, and Snyderman (1959), which is based on a content-context job factor dichotomy. The main hypothesis states that favorable feelings toward content factors, like achievement, contribute primarily to overall job satisfaction, but do not generally contribute to job dissatisfaction per se. Hence, content factors act mainly as satisfiers. Conversely, positive feelings toward context aspects, like job security, contribute to neutralizing dissatisfaction, but do not generally contribute to job satisfaction per se. Thus, context factors act mainly as dissatisfiers . Moreover, these diverse and curvilinear relationships are asserted to hold regardless of occupational level. The results of research directed at the twofactor theory have been mixed. In essence,

Motivation in managerial levels: Relationship of need satisfaction to job performance.

Abstract: Compared the need satisfaction of 87 1st line supervisors with 123 top and middle managers and related need satisfaction to job performance. A questionnaire was used to collect the data from managers in a steel mill. Findings support the E. Lawler and L. Porter (see pa, vol. 42:3043) model relating