Showing papers in "Journal of Applied Psychology in 1989"

Motivation and cognitive abilities: an integrative/aptitude-treatment interaction approach to skill acquisition

Abstract: Trois experiences mettent a l'epreuve un modele prenant en compte les differences dans les capacites cognitives, les processus auto-regulateurs de la motivation et les exigences de traitement de l'information

Self-determination in a work organization.

Abstract: Research testing self-determination theory was discussed in terms of recent work on intrinsic motivation, participative management, and leadership. On three occasions, managers' interpersonal orientations—toward supporting subordinates' self-determination versus controlling their behavior— were related to perceptions, affects, and satisfactions of the subordinates. Data from 23 managers and their subordinates in a major corporation showed that managers' orientations did correlate with the subordinate variables, although the magnitude of the relation varied, seemingly as a function of factors in the corporate climate. An organizational development intervention, focused on the concept of supporting subordinates' self-determination, was provided for the managers. Evaluation of the program showed a clearly positive impact on managers' orientations, though a less conclusive radiation to subordinates. To be self-determining means to experience a sense of choice in initiating and regulating one's own actions. Recent research linking self-determination to, enhanced creativity (Amabile, 1983), conceptual learning (Benware & Deci, 1984), self-esteem (Deci, Schwartz, Sheinman, & Ryan, 1981), and general well-being (Langer & Rodin, 1976) has stimulated psychologists to clarify the antecedent conditions that promote self-determination and to detail the relevance of self-determination to various applied settings. Concepts related to self-determination have been vigorously researched and discussed in the organizational literature for over a quarter century. Argyris (1957) and McGregor (1960), for example, stressed that organizational contexts providing workers the opportunity to satisfy their higher order needs (Maslow, 1943) promote effective performance. Furthermore, management styles (e.g., Likert, 1967; Marrow, Bowers, & Sea

Lack of Method Variance in Self-Reported Affect and Perceptions at Work: Reality or Artifact?

Abstract: Une reanalyse factorielle des donnees de Spector (1987) met a l'epreuve la validite de sa conclusion critique par rapport a la realite des variances des methodes dans un type de recherche sur les organisations

Cognitive versus affective determinants of organizational citizenship behavior

Abstract: In this research we tested the relative importance of subjective appraisals of the job versus mood state in accounting for organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). A total of 369 individuals from two hospitals provided data concerning their typical mood state at work and appraisals of their jobs a

Evaluation of three circadian rhythm questionnaires with suggestions for an improved measure of morningness.

Abstract: Circadian rhythms, cyclic fluctuations in many physiological and psychological functions, are thought to influence adjustment to shiftwork. A widely acknowledged individual difference in circadian rhythms, commonly called morningness, indicates preferences associated with morning or evening activities. Various self-report instruments have been developed to measure morningness, although little measurement data have been published for these scales. Because morningness scales are being used to select workers for night shiftwork, psychometric evaluations of these scales are needed. Psychometric assessments of undergraduate responses (N = 501) on three widely used scales indicate internal (interitem) measurement deficiencies in all three. Therefore, a 13-item scale was developed that distills the best items from two of these scales. Relationships between the new composite scale and external criteria are comparable with or stronger than similar relationships between the published scales and external criteria.

Effects of alternative training methods on self-efficacy and performance in computer software training

Abstract: Comparaison des differentes methodes d'entrainement a l'efficacite personnelle et a la maitrise d'un programme logiciel informatise, dnas le cadre d'une experience reelle impliquant 108 dirigeants d'universite. Implications sur les modes des interventions preferables pour obtenir les meilleurs resultats (imitation, tutorat, etc.)

A work values approach to corporate culture: A field test of the value congruence process and its relationship to individual outcomes.

Abstract: The purported advantage of a strong corporate culture presumes that positive outcomes result when peoples' values are congruent with those of others. This was tested by using a design that controlled for artifacts in prior studies. Participants, 191 production workers, their supervisors (N = 17), and 13 managers at a large industrial products plant, completed questionnaires containing measures of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and work values. Responses were later matched with the attendance and performance records of the production workers in the sample. Results showed that workers were more satisfied and committed when their values were congruent with the values of their supervisor, \felue congruence between workers and their supervisors was not significantly correlated with workers' tenure; however, its effect on organizational commitment was more pronounced for longer tenured employees. The topic of corporate culture has recently captured the interest of practicing managers as well as academic researchers. This appeal is based on the general observation that organizations with strong cultures exhibit superior overall performance (Barney, 1986; Deal & Kennedy, 1982; Kilmann, 1984; Peters & Waterman, 1982). Further evidence for this conclusion has come from accounts of the Japanese system of management (Ouchi, 1981; Pascale & Athos, 1981). These descriptions attribute the high levels of motivation and involvement of Japanese workers, at least in part, to their adoption of the dominant values and company philosophies held by their organizations (Schein, 1981). The superior performance of firms with strong corporate cultures has been ascribed to their use of socialization and other techniques to emphasize specific core values that, when shared by employees (Barney, 1986; Tichy, 1983), are thought to perform certain crucial functions. Schein (1985) has succinctly described these functions as external adaptation and internal integration. In fostering external adaptation, holding these core values is believed to influence employees to behave in ways that are necessary for the organization to survive in its environment. In this mode, values are thought to have a direct effect on the behavior of individuals in the workplace. The role of values in internal integration is quite different,

Construction of a Job in General scale: A comparison of global, composite, and specific measures.

Abstract: We describe the construction of a Job in General (JIG) scale, a global scale to accompany the facetscales of the Job Descriptive Index. We applied both traditional and item response theory proceduresfor item analysis to data from three large heterogeneous samples (N = 1,149, 3,566, and 4,490).Alpha was .91 and above for the resulting 18-item scale in successive samples. Convergent and dis-criminant validity and differential response to treatments were demonstrated. Global scales are con-trasted with composite and with facet scales in psychological measurement. We show that globalscales are not equivalent to summated facet scales. Both facet and global scales were useful in anotherorganization (N = 648). Some principles are suggested for choosing specific (facet), composite, orglobal measures for practical and theoretical problems. The correlations between global and facetscales suggest that work may be the most important facet in relation to general job satisfaction.

Integrating Work Environment Perceptions: Explorations into the Measurement of Meaning

Abstract: Many of the perceptual variables used in industrial/organizational psychology assess the meaning that work environment attributes have for individuals (e.g., the ambiguity of role prescriptions). This study represents an initial attempt to test the hypothesis that a unifying theme exists for integrating diverse measures of meaning. The unifying theme is based on a hierarchical cognitive model wherein each assessment of meaning reflects a general appraisal of the degree to which the overall work environment is personally beneficial versus personally detrimental to the organizational wellbeing of the individual. Results of confirmatory factor analyses on multiple samples supported a hierarchical cognitive model with a single, general factor underlying measures of meaning. These results are used to explain the substantive impact of work environment perceptions on individual outcomes. Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologists use many variables to assess perceptions of work environments. Examples include perceptual indicators of job attributes (e.g., job challenge, job autonomy), characteristics of leaders and leadership processes (e.g., leader consideration and support, leader work facilitation), workgroup characteristics and processes (workgroup cooperation, workgroup esprit), and interfaces between individuals and subsystems or organizations (e.g., role ambiguity, fairness and equity of reward system). The following two principles have guided many applied psychologists' efforts to measure work environment perceptions: (a) Individuals respond to environments in terms of how they perceive them and (b) the most important component of perception is the meaning or meanings imputed to the environment by the individual (Ekehammer, 1974; Endler & Magnusson, 1976; Lewin, 1938, 1951; Mischel, 1968).

Has anything changed? Current characterizations of men, women, and managers.

Abstract: Replication et extension de la recherche de Schein (1973) sur la description des hommes, des femmes, en tant que tels ou comme managers ou managers a succes, par 268 managers utilisant un inventaire d'attributs a 92 items pour evaluer un des sept groupes cibles. La proximite de l'image de manager avec celle de chaque role sexuel est en particulier commentee

Job Satisfaction: Environmental and Genetic Components

Abstract: Monozygotic twins reared apart from an early age were used to test the hypothesis that there is a significant genetic component to job satisfaction. Thirty-four monozygotic twin pairs who had been reared apart completed the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire as part of a comprehensive work-history assessment. Three subscales were formed from the job satisfaction items to reflect intrinsic, extrinsic, and general satisfaction with the current (or major) job. Intraclass correlations were computed to estimate the proportion of observed variability resulting from genetic factors for all job satisfaction items and for the three subscales. Resulting values indicated that approximately 30% of the observed variance in general job satisfaction was due to genetic factors. Additional analysis indicated that these results obtained even when job characteristics such as complexity, motor skill requirements, and the physical demands were held constant via partialing methods. Finally, the data indicated significant heritabilities for several of these job characteristics, which is consistent with the hypothesis of a genetic disposition to seek and remain in similar environments (jobs). Implications of these findings for theories of job satisfaction, selection, and job enrichment are discussed.

Job and life satisfaction: A reevaluation of the strength of the relationship and gender effects as a function of the date of the study.

Abstract: Etude meta-analytique de 34 recherches effectues dans differents secteurs des sciences humaines sur les rapports entre les satisfactions vis-a-vis de l'existence et du travail

Development and application of new scales to measure the French and Raven (1959) bases of social power.

Abstract: Presentation de la mise au point et des proprietes psychometriques de mesures des differents types de pouvoir

Job seeking, reemployment, and mental health: a randomized field experiment in coping with job loss.

Abstract: Cognitive theories of adherence to difficult courses of action and findings from previous survey research on coping with a major life event—job loss—were used to generate a preventive intervention, tested by a randomized field experiment. The aim was to prevent poor mental health and loss of motivation to seek reemployment among those who continued to be unemployed and to promote high-quality reemployment. Ss were 928 recently unemployed adults from southeastern Michigan, representing a broad range of demographic characteristics; they were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control condition. The experimental intervention included training in job seeking with a problem-solvin g process emphasizing inoculation against setbacks and positive social reinforcement. A pretest was administered, followed by posttests 1 and 4 months after the experiment. The experimental condition yielded higher quality reemployment in terms of earnings and job satisfaction, and higher motivation among those who continued to be unemployed.

Dispositional approach to job satisfaction: Role of negative affectivity.

Abstract: Cette recherche porte sur la relation entre affectivite negative (N.A.), definie comme une disposition individuelle tendant a faire eprouver surtout les etats emotionnels aversifs, et la satisfaction affirmee dans le travail. Deux experiences sont menees. La premiere, de type factoriel, a lieu en labo et manipule 2 V.I : La nature de la tâche (enrichie ou pauvre) et le niveau de N.A des sujets (bas ou haut). La seconde experience, de type correlationnel, a lieu en dimension reelle (N: 315 employes). Un plaidoyer est fait pour une meilleure prise en compte des variables dispositionnelles comme source des attitudes liees au travail

Validity of Personnel Decisions: A Conceptual Analysis of the Inferential and Evidential Bases

Abstract: Issues common to both the process of building psychological theories and validating personnel decisions are examined. Inferences linking psychological constructs and operational measures of constructs are organized into a conceptual framework, and validation is characterized as the process of accumulating various forms ofjudgrnental and empirical evidence to support these inferences. The traditional concepts of construct-, content-, and criterion-related validity are unified within this framework. This unified view of validity is then contrasted with more conventional views (e.g., Uniform Guidelines, 1978), and misconceptions about the validation of employment tests are examined. Next, the process of validating predictor constructs is extended to delineate the critical inferences unique to validating performance criteria. Finally, an agenda for programmatic personnel selection research is described, emphasizing a shift in the behavioral scientist's role in the personnel selection process. Demonstrating the validity of decisions based on psychological assessment procedures is of fundamental importance to personnel and other applied psychologists. Furthermore, few would argue with the fact that generating and articulating validity evidence is a complex process. To fully appreciate this complexity, it is important to realize that conceptions of validity have evolved over the years through the melding of legal, technical, and practical concerns about the quality and utility of personnel decisions. Inevitably, differences of interpretation and opinion have arisen as each constituency has viewed these myriad concerns from uniquely important perspectives. Perhaps equally inevitable, however, is the confusion that has grown out of these differences. Because this confusion ultimately limits the effectiveness of practitioners and theorists alike, the need for greater clarity cannot be overestimated (Guion, 1987; Landy, 1986; Tenopyr, 1986). This article is based on the premise that all validity issues discussed in personnel contexts have some conceptual counterpart in the general process of theory development (Landy, 1986). Moreover, various departures from this "ideal" process have led to myopic, if not erroneous, conceptions of validity. To elucidate how these departures have distorted conceptions of validity, the article is divided into four major sections. In the section that immediately follows, we review how the general

Field Test of the Cognitive Interview: Enhancing the Recollection of Actual Victims and Witnesses of Crime

Abstract: The Cognitive Interview was tested in the field to enhance the recollection of actual victims and witnesses of crime. The technique is based on laboratory-tested principles of memory retrieval, knowledge representation, and communication. Seven experienced detectives from the Metro-Dade Police Department were trained to use the technique and were compared with 9 untrained detectives. Before and after training, all detectives tape-recorded interviews with victims and witnesses of crime. The trained detectives elicited 47% more information after than before training, and 63% more information than did the untrained detectives. Overall collaboration rates (94%) were extremely high and were equivalent for pre- and posttrained interviews. Because the Cognitive Interview reliably enhances memory and is easily learned and administered, it should be useful for a variety of investigative interviews.

A three-wave longitudinal analysis of the causal ordering of satisfaction and commitment on turnover decisions

Abstract: Application de la methodologie de l'equation structurelle pour tester, avec des donnees longitudinales (N=440), le modele de Williams et Hazer (1986) sur les liens entre satisfaction dans le travail et implication organisationnelle d'une part et le changement de travail d'autre part

Referent Cognitions and Task Decision Autonomy: Beyond Equity Theory

Abstract: A laboratory experiment was conducted to test referent cognitions theory, which integrates distributive and procedural justice. Undergraduates worked on two tasks knowing that performance scores from only one of these would count toward their chances for earning a reward. In the subject-decision conditions, the students selected (prior to knowledge about their performance) which task would count. The experimenter selected the crucial task in the experimenter-decision conditions. Feedback from the task that did not count indicated to subjects in high-referent conditions that they would have won the reward if these scores had counted, whereas subjects in low-referent conditions learned they would have lost no matter which set of scores counted. All subjects "lost" on the task that counted. Only subjects in the high-referent, experimenter-decision condition subsequently expressed feelings of unfair treatment. The results are discussed in terms of limitations to equity theory.

Self-management training for increasing job attendance: A follow-up and a replication.

Abstract: Etude des effets d'une formation auto-regulatrice de la participation professionnelle aupres de 20 employes et du role de la perception de l'efficacite personnelle dans l'absenteisme ou l'assiduite

A realistic test of individual versus group consensus decision making.

Abstract: Cette recherche remet en cause l'idee preconcue qui voudrait que la qualite d'une decision prise en groupe ne puisse, au mieux, qu'egaler celle prise par le meilleur des membres du groupe. Pour cela, contrairement a la majorite des travaux precedents, sont utilises des groupes pre-existants a l'etude (non-artificiels), resolvant des problemess pertinents dans le contexte (reponses a des items de tests) et portant reellement a consequence (pris en compte dans le cursus universitaire). La variable dimension groupe est egalement manipulee