bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Skills Exchange for Unemployed People
Authors: Senior Barbara , Naylor John B.
Published: March 2006

This paper reports the results of a study of a voluntary skills exchange for unemployed adults in Liverpool. It combines investigation at the organizational level with an interview survey of satisfactions gained by 60 members. Questions posed are how far a skills exchange might go in alleviating the adverse effects of unemployment and then how effective the particular organization was at achieving its potential. Results showed that members attached high importance to the satisfaction of social and psychological needs either within the exchange or in employment. The average satisfaction gained from membership fell short of this. For the small group who were active in the exchange, members were engaged in the equivalent of part-time work. But the broad ideals of the organization and the unfamiliarity of the decision-making setting made it difficult to recruit and retain new members and, hence, increase the organization's impact.
Perceived Job Attributes, Job Satisfaction, and Psychological Distress: A Comparison of Working Men and Women
Authors: D'Arcy Carl , Syrotuik John , Siddique C. M.
Published: March 2006

This paper evaluates the importance of perceived job attributes in accounting for previously observed sex differences in job satisfaction and psychological distress. This study sample consisted of 854 males and 272 females who were working full time. The results indicated that male ratings of job satisfaction were equivalent to those of females, while women scored higher than men on a measure of psychological distress. However, when job attribute perceptions were held constant, female job satisfaction was significantly higher than that of males and there were no sex differences in levels of psychololgical distress. Only marginally significant sex-by-job attribute interactions were found for job satisfaction and psychological distress, suggesting similar bases of satisfaction and mental health across sex. The results are discussed in terms of female expectations regarding employment and the importance of role-related stress in accounting for sex differences in psychological morbidity.
A Research Synthesis of Gender and Social Class as Correlates of Subjective Well-Being
Authors: Haring Marilyn J. , Stock William A. , Okun Morris A.
Published: March 2006

Meta-analytic techniques were used to synthesize findings from the extant empirical literature on gender and social class as predictors of subjective well-being among U.S. adults. Based upon Rubin's (1979) research, we tested a family of hypotheses that gender, relative to social class, accounted for more variation in subjective well-being. Examination of zero-order and first-order effect sizes revealed that men have slightly higher subjective well-being than women and that, while gender is a statistically significant predictor of subjective well-being, it accounts for little variance. Three measures of social class, composite socioeconomic status, occupational status, and income also are significantly related to subjective well-being on the zero-order level; but that relation is reduced when gender is used as a covariate. Overall, across the studies we synthesized, gender does not transcend social class as a major determinant of subjective well-being.
Political Interest, Political Information Search, and Ideological Homogeneity as a Function of Sociopolitical Ideology: A Tale of Three Theories
Authors: Sidanius Jim
Published: March 2006

The relative plausibilities of three theories concerning the relationship between sociopolitical ideology and certain personality variables were examined using 783 Swedish high school students: authoritarian personality theory, extremism theory, and context theory. The three theories were compared by examining degree of information search and interest in politics as a function of sociopolitical ideology and ideological homogeneity as a function of parental educational level. The main results showed that: (1) The relationships between degree of information search and political interest on the one hand, and sociopolitical ideology on the other, were primarily curvilinear indicating greater interest in politics and greater information search for both “left” and “right extremists” as compared to moderates on a number of ideological dimensions. (2) Subjects with well-educated parents were more ideologically heterogeneous than subjects with poorly educated parents. These differences were more marked for males than for females. The results were most consistent with context theory.
Organizational Coordination, Uncertainty, and Performance: An Integrative Study
Authors: Cheng Joseph L. C.
Published: March 2006

This study extends past research on coordination by investigating its interaction effect with uncertainty on organizational performance. Results from a field study show that the higher the level of uncertainty, the more positive the relationship between coordination and output quality, but the less positive the relationship between coordination and output quantity. Implications of the findings are discussed, including their relevance to the choice of effectiveness criteria in organization research.
A Study of the Relationship between Jungian Personality Dimensions and Conflict-Handling Behavior
Authors: Chanin Michael N. , Schneer Joy A.
Published: March 2006

This study investigated potential personality predispositions to interpersonal conflict-handling behavior. The design of the study represents an advancement over previous research as both males and females were studied in a controlled context of conflict introduced via a business simulation game. Jungian personality dimensions and conflict-handling modes were assessed and a significant relationship was found between subjects' decision-making preference (thinking-feeling) and their choice of conflict-handling behavior. Some sex differences in conflict-handing behavior were also found. The findings of this study have implications for conflict management, personnel selection, and placement of individuals in organizations.
A Comparison of the Quality of Work Experience in Government and Private Organizations
Authors: Cacioppe Ron , Mock Philip
Published: March 2006

A total of 5979 employees from a number of Australian government and private sector organizations participated in a survey measuring the quality of their work experience. This article examines the differences found between government and private sector employees' ratings of their work experience. The results of this study indicate that the government employees rate the quality of their work experience significantly below the level of their private sector counterparts. The most significant difference in the ratings was between high status government vs. high status private employees, with high status private employees rating their work experience well above the equivalent government group. An association was also found between the type of organization and employees' motivation for work. People working in public organizations were motivated more by factors such as providing a service or product that helps other people or self-development/self-fulfillment than private sector employees. Those in private organizations were motivated more by extrinsic factors such as money in order to obtain an enjoyable and pleasurable life. High status government employees were more intrinsically oriented than all other occupational groups. The lower rating of government employees' work experience may be related to the lack of fulfilling intrinsic factors in their work situations. The results of this study are similar to the results of previous studies which have compared work satisfaction in government vs. private organizations. The results suggest the need for well planned and coordinated organizational development programs in government departments.
Sex Discrimination and Rewards in a Public Comprehensive University
Authors: Ervin Delbert , Thomas Barbara J. , Zey-Ferrell Mary
Published: March 2006

Baldridge, Cutis, Ecker, and Riley (1978) posit that differences in academic rewards for men and women faculty are largely due to differences in the type of employing institution, with males being employed in more prestigious institutions than females. To examine their hypothesis that sex differences do not exist in a single type of institution, we construct four regression models, one each for the rewards of type of appointment, tenure, rank, and salary. Twenty-three background characteristics including sex, work activities, and productivity variables are used as predictors. Reward variables which theoretically precede in time the reward being analyzed are also included as predictors of that reward. Data were collected from personnel files, institutional records, interviews with administrators, and faculty questionnaires. The analyses produced four strong but heterogeneous models of faculty rewards. Thus, there is no single academic reward structure; rather, four different reward structures exist. The heterogeneity of variables within the models demonstrates the need to develop multi-level, multi-trait models of rewards drawing from social, psychological, group, and organizational characteristics. Of the four rewards, only salary differs by sex; thus, our findings partially support Baldridge and associates' hypothesis. Males are paid significantly more than their female counterparts. Male and female salary models differ, with males being more likely to receive rewards for achieved characteristics than females.
Do Legitimacy of Supervisor and Reward Contingency Interact in Prediction of Work Behavior?
Authors: Smith Catherine B.
Published: March 2006

The study examined the importance of different bases of legitimacy of authority upon conformity and performance of temporary employees engaged in a realistic technical task. Task supervisors varied in apparent technical and administrative expertise. The contingency of rewards upon performance was systematically varied to separate the impact of expected reward contingency from variations in bases of legitimacy. Subjects were hired as temporary workers in a laboratory experiment to test these propositions, and to build upon an earlier laboratory study by Evan and Zelditch.
Organizational/Managerial Control Processes: A Reconceptualization of the Linkage between Technology and Performance
Authors: Ovalle Nestor K.
Published: March 2006

Literature pertaining to the definition and delineation of managerial control is reviewed. In addition, literature positing a potential link between technology and the process of control is assessed. It is evident that there is wide variability in how managerial control has been defined and delineated; however, it appears that there is common agreement on several key underlying components. There is also evidence that control may be an important link between technology and behavior/performance. A conceptual frame-work for this linkage is presented and discussed.
Job Satisfaction among Australian Nurses
Authors: Gray David E.
Published: March 2006

This study examines job satisfaction among a sample of Australian nurses. Job satisfaction is considered in the context of nursing's position in the medical division of labor and the various political strategies that the occupation has pursued to improve its status. Examination of the data reveals that seniority, rank, sex, and type of basic training have the strongest effects on job satisfaction. Job technology and interactions between job technology, education, and postbasic training are also significant. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the political strategies nursing has used to improve the status of the occupation and the satisfaction of nursing work.
The Hidden Face of Shyness: A Message from the Shy for Researchers and Practitioners
Authors: Harris Peter R.
Published: March 2006

In employing techniques designed to facilitate the representation of responses in purely numerical form, psychologists run the risk of overlooking certain aspects of the phenomenon they are investigating. Letters writtenin response to a recent television program on shyness were examined with this in mind, and it is argued that this correspondence reveals a belief among the correspondents that shyness is not taken seriously by others, an aspect of the problem that has indeed been overlooked by psychologists working in the area. Moreover, this belief appears to heavily influence the responses of the correspondents to their difficulties, limiting the extent to which they are prepared to seek the advice and help of others, and trapping them in a spiral of isolation and ignorance that apparently serves to exacerbate their difficulties. It also contrasts sharply with their own accounts of the problems shyness brings. As well as adding substance to the more rarefied numerical accounts that characterize the psychological research literature on shyness, therefore, this qualitative material raises issues of concern both to those in the caring professions and those with a research interest in shyness (especially those interested in social psychological perspectives on the problem).
Social Identity in Northern Ireland
Authors: Cairns Ed , Mercer G. W.
Published: March 2006

In an attempt to explore the importance of various religious ethnic and political social identities in Northern Ireland, 991 young people (60% Protestants, 40% Catholics) were asked to choose among various bipolar adjectives and then to rank order the terms chosen. The results indicated that the Catholic-Protestant dimension was the most frequently chosen and most highly rated ethnopolitical category but that some cross-cutting occurred on all categories. Further, it was suggested that while the term Catholic may carry surplus meaning from the religious domain, the label Protestant may be rather more clearly thought of as a purely ethnopolitical term.
Cooperativeness and Advancement of Managers: An International Perspective
Authors: Rosenstein Eliezer
Published: March 2006

This article examines the relationship between cooperative tendencies of middle managers and their rate of advancement in organizational settings. Data was collected by means of three independent simulation exercises, which were administered in 12 national groups. Altogether, 700-2000 managers participated, depending on the specific exercise. The results indicate that, on a global basis, organizations seem to reward their managers more for noncooperativeness than for cooperativeness, but national differences are important. In Scandinavia and Japan positive correlations between cooperativeness and rate of advancement outnumber the negative ones, and in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands they are equal. It is suggested in the conclusions that probably cooperative managers as such are often not considered most effective by their superiors. However, there is need for further elaboration of the contingency perspective which focuses on critical circumstances that influence the outcome of the cooperative behavior of managers.
A Comparison of Four Information Processing Models of Leadership and Social Perceptions
Authors: Lord Robert G. , Alliger George M.
Published: March 2006

This study examined the validity of four alternative information processing models which specify how interaction behavior related to social perceptions in a small group problem-solving experiment. Results indicated that leadership and social power perceptions were based on relative, as opposed to absolute, frequency of behaviors and that this relationship was eliminated when behavior conflicted with experimenter provided behavioral norms. Limited support was found for the expectations that leadership perceptions depended on the prototypicality of behavior and on how well behaviors matched the interdependence requirements of experimental tasks. Results further suggested that raters' causal ascriptions to ratees may have been derived from leadership perceptions rather than being crucial in forming leadership perceptions, which supports a categorization model of leadership.
The Relative Importance of Journals Used in Management Research: An Alternative Ranking
Authors: Sharplin Arthur D. , Mabry Rodney H.
Published: March 2006

The journals which contribute most to management research are identified and ranked based upon the number of citations they received during a recent four-year period in the two top management journals, Administrative Science Quarterly and The Academy of Management Journal. Rankings are provided based upon total citations, citations per article published annually, and citations per 10,000 words published annually. A final ranking of just the top ten management journals is based upon the last criterion.
Evaluation and the Impact of Information Technologies on People in Organizations
Authors: Blackler Frank , Brown Colin
Published: March 2006

Micro-electronic-based technologies will have profound effects on the relationships between people, machines, work, and productivity. Present policies towards them, however, place an overwhelming emphasis on technological and economic considerations. An “innovation approach” to the diffusion of technology predominates, linked to a unitary concept of organization, an antagonistic view of participation and efficiency, and a short-term “cost substitution” approach to evaluation. One alternative is suggested by the emphasis in the organization theory literature that organizations are social rather than rational systems containing a plurality of interest groups. On this view, it is as unrealistic to attempt to segregate technical and economic considerations from social and psychological ones, as it is to separate short-term effects from long-term outcomes. Evaluation is seen as a central part of a complex and incremental planning process. Yet this approach is often presented as little more than a strategy to minimize possible resistance to the introduction of the technologies. There is an important need to seek to influence opinion and practice to ensure that the technologies are used to increase peoples' opportunities for self-determination at work rather than simply to seek for ways in which the new technologies can smoothly be introduced. Drawing from attempts over the past 20 years to improve the quality of working life through the promotion of job redesign theory, a general approach to the issue is outlined. It is argued that psychological and social planning is an essential part of the introduction of the new technologies, that evaluation should focus on developing goals, processual issues, and incremental change rather than on how far predetermined objectives are reached. Appropriate evaluation of the new technologies is an activity of importance, offering opportunities to help ensure that psychological and social issues are given attention comparable to that received by technical and economic concerns.
Local Use of Survey Data: Impact of Research Findings on Farmer's Markets
Authors: Sommer Robert , Nelson Sandra A.
Published: March 2006

Researchers lack adequate feedback on the utilization of their findings at the local level. Following an earlier study of farmers' markets with dual objectives of contributing to theory and practice, a 4-year follow-up was undertaken to document the flow of information that occurred and if and how the results were used. The follow-up indicated that the research was utilized far more at the local level than was known to the researchers, and that much of the usage involved public relations and promotion activities, rather than policy formation and guidance.
A Subculture of Parasuicide?
Authors: Platt Stephen D.
Published: March 2006

The purpose of this study was to devise an empirical test of the hypothesis that geographical areas with high parasuicide rates (HRAs) are characterized by a distinctive subculture which is expected to facilitate parasuicidal behavior to a considerable degree. A secondary hypothesis states that cultural differences (“cultural distance”) between parasuicides and the general population will be relatively more pronounced in areas with low parasuicide rates (LRAs) than in HRAs. Data were gathered on four separate samples in Edinburgh: two groups of parasuicides, one from an HRA, the other from three LRAs, and two groups of population controls matched pairwise with each parasuicide by sex, age, and area of residence. Four instruments, of which three were specially designed for the study, were used to test middle-order hypotheses relating to specific elements of the cultural system. These instruments are fully described. Empirical evidence undoubtedly supports the prediction of a meaning system in the HRA which is distinctive from that found in the LRA. However, not all differences are in the expected direction. Although there is evidence of greater toleration in the HRA of deviant behavior in general, parasuicide is equally proscribed in the two areas and is given the most extreme rating of 19 conduct norms in the HRA. The HRA subculture is also significantly less understanding of parasuicide, and considers it to be more immoral and sanctionable than the dominant LRA culture. Overall, lifetime contact with suicidal behavior is equally extensive in the two areas, although more intimate experience and personal involvement is reported in the HRA. Detailed analyses of within-area differences relating to all measures and instruments provide little support for the secondary hypothesis; cultural distance is similar in both groups. Possible explanations to account for the unexpected findings are proposed.
A Balanced Distance: Aspects of Marital Quality
Authors: Kotler Tamara
Published: March 2006

The present study is concerned with changes in marital satisfaction associated with the family career. It is based on a cross-sectional sample of 60 cases, equally divided between men and women respondents and the first three stages of the family life cycle. Factor analysis of several questionnaire measures of aspects of the marital relationship resulted in a general factor of marital quality with interpersonal features yielding the highest loadings. Two-way analysis of variance was applied to scores on this factor resulting in a significant stage effect (F = 3.23, p < 0.05) which was largely due to differences between stages within the sit of women respondents. Further interpretations drew on representative cases drawn from two extremes of the evaluative dimension. The findings accord with previous studies in emphasizing the importance of companionship and role sharing for marital quality. The value of establishing a balance of closeness and distance is noted.
Work Design and Supervisory Practice: A Model
Authors: Cordery John L. , Wall Toby D.
Published: March 2006

In this paper it is argued that contemporary theoretical approaches to work design and redesign neglect the role played by supervision, and that this has been an impediment to both research and practice. From an examination of the literature in the area, relevant aspects of supervisory behavior are identified and a model presented which relates job characteristics to supervisory practices. Finally, the model is discussed in the context of leadership research.
When Cultures Collide: The Anatomy of a Merger
Authors: Buono Anthony F. , Bowditch James L. , Lewis John W.
Published: March 2006

An extended case study of a recent merger between two mutual savings banks is studied from the perspective of organizational culture. Data on organizational culture and organizational climate are analyzed from pre- and post-merger interviews, observations, archival information, and survey questionnaires. Results suggest that even within the same industry, there are major difficulties in trying to merge two different though viable organizational cultures.
Androgyny and the Perception of Television Violence as Perpetrated by Males and Females
Authors: Gunter Barrie , Furnham Adrian
Published: March 2006

This study examined British viewers' perceptual judgments of violent TV scenes from three categories of programming: British crime detective series, American crime detective series, and science fiction series in which either a male assailant attacked a female victim or a female assailant attacked a male victim. Violence took the form either of a shooting or a fist fight/physical struggle which were balanced equally across male and female violence. Each scene was rated by a panel of viewers for the perceived seriousness of its content along eight evaluative scales. Respondents also filled out the Bem (1974) Sex Role Inventory (BSRI). Results showed that male violence on a female victim was rated as more serious than female violence on a male victim, but only in a contemporary British crime drama context. In contemporary American crime or futuristic, science fiction contexts, the reverse was true. High masculinity scores on the BSRI were associated with the belief that male victimization by a female assailant was more violent and disturbing than female victimization by a male assailant, while high femininity scorers found female victimization the more violent and disturbing of the two. These relationships held following separate analysis for male respondents and female respondents and indicate the importance of self-perceived masculinity-femininity as well as actual sex as mediators of viewers' judgments about TV violence.
The Measurement of Work Autonomy
Authors: Breaugh James A.
Published: March 2006

The importance of autonomy has been asserted by numerous writers in a variety of research domains, e.g., leadership, organizational climate, professionalism, and job design. In this paper, it is argued that research on job autonomy has been hindered by the way it has been conceptualized and operationalized by recent researchers. More specifically, it is suggested that the most commonly used measures of job autonomy operationally confound job autonomy with a conceptually distinct job characteristic (job interdependence/independence). Furthermore, it is suggested that for both theory development and improved organizational interventions it is important to distinguish separate areas (facets) of autonomy. This paper presents the development of a new instrument capable of tapping three distinct types, i.e., “Method A utonoly,” “Scheduling Autonomy,” and “Criteria Autonomy,” of work autonomy. Data relevant to the reliability and the validity of the instrument were gathered in two organizations. The results of several psychometric analyses suggest that the three work autonomy scales are both reliable and valid.
Life Space Structure: Explorations and Speculations
Authors: Lee Mary Dean
Published: March 2006

The concept of life space structure described elsewhere is developed and explored as a means of representing and explaining the effectiveness of individuals' characteristic behavioral patterns of arranging work and personal life. Common problems and opportunities of work and personal life coordination are described and analyzed from the perspective of four types of life space structure: home-based nuclear, work-based nuclear, conjoint, and diffuse. Hypotheses are proposed about the conditions under which certain types of life space structure are likely to be more effective than others.
Expert Consensus in Prioritizing and Scaling Organization Design Factors: A Case Study
Authors: Gustafson H. W. , Hayden S. J.
Published: March 2006

As a step in generating consistent guidelines, principles, and tools to assist American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) practitioners in designing organizations, a panel of 19 authorities on organizational principles identified, prioritized, and scaled 28 design factors considered generally important in driving effectiveness outcomes. Ready consensus was achieved by the panel with respect to factor names, narrative definitions, verbal anchors for BARS-like rating scales, and premises indicating the normative (desirable/undesirable) polarities of the scales. The factor definitions are believed to afford a useful checklist for organization planning, management auditing, and organizational effectiveness consulting, as well as an embryonic common language for organizational modeling and research.
A Dissipative Structure Model of Organization Transformation
Authors: Gemmill Gary , Smith Charles
Published: March 2006

Modern organizations must transform amidst the internal and external complexity and turbulence they face. Transformation processes are not understandable through the equilibrium models we most often use to describe system dynamics. More applicable system models, recently emerging within the physical sciences, incorporate disorder, uncertainty, and complexity and provide insight into the process of transformation, its characteristics and dynamics. One such model put forth by the Belgian physicist, Ilya Prigogine, is offered here as an explanatory theory of organization transformation. The model postulates that “inherent stabilities” make more probable a system's successful transition through highly unstable conditions. These same stabilities offer a point of convergence of current theories of organizational learning, of self-organizing systems, and of high performance teams. Summary propositions and some directions for future research are discussed.
Decision Procedure Models and Empirical Research: The Japanese Experience
Authors: Takahashi Nobuo , Takayanagi Satoru
Published: March 2006

This paper considers a new typology of decision procedures, the “fixed-size procedure” and the “sequential procedure,” associated with the way of discovering new alternatives. We discuss simple decision process models of these decision procedures, and hypothesize that decision makers with the sequential procedure search the smaller number of alternatives than ones with the fixed-size procedure. Our empirical research on Japanese firms supports this hypothesis, and we report the findings; when faced with greater uncertainty, the fixed-size procedure firms take organizing modes to increase information-processing capacity, and the sequential procedure firms take ones to decrease the need for information; the fixed-size procedure firms take “Japanese” conflict resolution modes but the sequential procedure firms do not. Thus, we provide a new point of view for the study on decision processes and Japanese management methods.
Age, Education, Job Tenure, Salary, Job Characteristics, and Job Satisfaction: A Multivariate Analysis
Authors: Lee Raymond , Wilbur Elizabeth R.
Published: March 2006

The relationship of age to job satisfaction was investigated. Subjects were 1707 public employees in the United States who responded to questionnaires. The results showed that job satisfaction increased with age. Younger employees were less satisfied overall with their jobs, but especially with the intrinsic characteristics of the work. Older employees were more satisfied with the extrinsic characteristics than were the two younger groups of employees. When the effects of salary, job tenure, and education were removed independently as well as simultaneously, the same differences were found. However, when the effect of job characteristics was added to the combination and partialled out, the intrinsic characteristics factor was no longer significant.
What Makes Ms. Johnson Teach? A Study of Teacher Motivation
Authors: Sylvia Ronald D. , Hutchison Tony
Published: March 2006

The need configurations underlying the motivations of public school teachers are examined here with regard to teacher perceptions of pay equity relative to other factors such as work autonomy, intrinsic work elements, and satisfaction of so-called higher-order needs. A Q sort forced distributions research instrument containing 37 attitudinal statements was administered to a group of 167 teachers of a medium-sized city in Oklahoma. The survey netted 135 usable questionnaires (76%). The data were R factor analyzed producing six clear factors, which dealt with: social variables and collegial support; positive supervisor relations; gratification from intrinsic work elements and dissatisfaction with extrinsic elements such as pay and benefits; interesting work and appropriate responsibility levels; opportunities for learning and development combined with negative attitudes about day-to-day duties; and job security, clear expectations, and excessive workloads. The study concluded that teacher motivation is based in the freedom to try new ideas, achievement of appropriate responsibility levels, and intrinsic work elements. The latter were of transcendent importance to our respondents. Based upon our findings, schemes such as merit pay were predicted to be counterproductive in service organizations which employ professionally trained people.
Confronting the Teenage Pregnancy Issue: Social Marketing as an Interdisciplinary Approach
Authors: Marsiglio William
Published: March 2006

Social marketing is advocated here as a viable approach for increasing responsible teenage contraception. The innovative field is reviewed and the major issues dealing with the adoption and implementation of a social marketing approach to teenage contraception are discussed. Research on teenagers' sexual and contraceptive attitudes and behaviors is also reviewed. The discussion emphasizes that the use and adoption of effective contraceptive methods requires both individual level decision-making and interpersonal negotiation with contraceptive providers. Some of the key individual level considerations are presented here within the context of a problem-solving framework for contraceptive use. It is concluded that interdisciplinary efforts are needed to expand and integrate our knowledge of teenagers' fertility-related attitudes and behaviors to facilitate effective social marketing strategies. Particular emphasis is placed on improving our understanding of the social psychological processes underlying how teenagers, both individually and in conjunction with others, consider, discuss, and decide upon the various contraceptive methods.
Visual Display Technology, Worker Disablement, and Work Organization
Authors: Williams Trevor A.
Published: March 2006

The rapid and widespread introduction of visual display technology in Australia has been accompanied by a large increase in disablement among operators of visual display units (VDUs). The prevalent belief in the society is that working with VDUs is largely responsible for the disablement and that work organization is an important factor affecting the occurrence of injury. A review of present and emerging knowledge about the association between visual display technology and worker disablement suggests that there are factors inherent in the technology itself which also account for injury but that work organization design does play a central part. The most common approach is to adopt visual display technology while retaining bureaucratic work organization designs. This increases the repetitiveness of work and the amount of control imposed on workers. The retention of bureaucratic work organization also increases the risk of disablement and limits the effectiveness of attempts to prevent disablement. Two cases are reviewed which demonstrate the development of more participative democratic work organization designs in conjunction with introducing visual display technology. Continuing demands within the society to prevent worker disablement from VDUs place pressure on organizations to develop new forms of work organization and may be a positive force toward the democratization of work.
Childhood Cruelty toward Animals among Criminals and Noncriminals
Authors: Kellert Stephen R. , Felthous Alan R.
Published: March 2006

This paper examines the relationship between childhood cruelty toward animals and aggressive behavior among criminals and noncriminals in adulthood.

Data were derived from personal interviews with 152 criminals and noncriminals in Kansas and Connecticut. A standardized, closed, and open-ended interview, requiring approximately 1-2 hours to complete, was administered to all subjects. Aggressiveness was defined by behavioral criteria rather than by reason for incarceration.

Childhood cruelty toward animals occurred to a significantly greater degree among aggressive criminals than among nonaggressive criminals or noncriminals. Additionally, the occurrence of more than 40 cases of extreme animal crielty facilitated the development of a preliminary classification of nine distinct motivations for animal cruelty. Finally, family violence, particularly paternal abuse and alcoholism, were significantly more common among aggressive criminals with a history of childhood cruelty toward animals.
Intergroup Reconciliation: Effects of Adversary's Expressions of Empathy, Responsibility, and Recipients' Trust
Authors: Nadler Arie , Liviatan Ido
Published: March 2006

The present study explores the effects of expressions of empathy for the ingroup's conflict-related suffering and assumed responsibility for causing it by a representative of the rival outgroup on recipient's willingness for reconciliation. It is suggested that such positive expressions by an adversary will have positive effects on reconciliation only in the presence of a basic level of trust in the outgroup. In two studies, Israeli-Jewish participants were exposed to a Palestinian leader who either expressed or did not express empathy and/or Palestinian responsibility for Israelis' suffering. After reading the speech, participants completed a questionnaire that measured their attitudes toward reconciliation with Palestinians. Results of both studies show that whereas expression of empathy led to more positive attitudes when trust was high, it tended to have adverse effects when trust was low. Similar effects were not found for assumed responsibility. Implications for research on intergroup conflict and reconciliation are discussed.
Can Values Moderate the Attitudes of Right-Wing Authoritarians?
Authors: Oyamot Clifton M. , Borgida Eugene , Fisher Emily L.
Published: March 2006

This investigation explored how right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and endorsement of egalitarian beliefs may interact to determine attitudes toward immigrants, homosexuals, and African Americans. Study 1 (N = 239) found that RWA was negatively related to evaluations of immigrants for those who weakly endorsed egalitarian beliefs. In contrast, endorsement of egalitarian beliefs was associated with positive evaluations of immigrants for both low and high RWAs. RWA did not interact with egalitarianism to determine attitudes toward homosexuals or African Americans. Study 2 analyzed data from the 1992 National Election Study and replicated these effects in a young adult (age= 24) sample (n = 102) using moral traditionalism as a proxy for RWA. Partial support for the hypotheses also was found in the adult (age= 25) sample (n = 1,257). It is concluded that when tradition and/or social norms offer unclear positions, endorsement of egalitarian beliefs influences the attitudes of authoritarians.
Reducing Stereotype Threat by Blurring Intergroup Boundaries
Authors: Rosenthal Harriet E. S. , Crisp Richard J.
Published: March 2006

The authors aimed to establish whether interventions designed to reduce intergroup bias could be applied to the stereotype threat domain. In three experiments, the hypothesis was tested that blurring intergroup boundaries would reduce stereotype threat. In the first study, it was found that female participants who thought about characteristics shared between the genders tended to show less preference for stereotypical female careers than did participants in the baseline condition. In Experiment 2, participants who thought about overlapping characteristics answered more math questions correctly compared to a baseline group and participants who thought about differences between the genders. In Experiment 3, a specific threat manipulation was included. Participants who completed the overlapping characteristics task before receiving the threat completed significantly more math questions correctly than did participants in the baseline and threat conditions. The findings support the idea that interventions designed to reduce intergroup bias can be applied successfully in the reduction of stereotype threat.
Reducing Automatically Activated Racial Prejudice Through Implicit Evaluative Conditioning
Authors: Olson Michael A. , Fazio Russell H.
Published: March 2006

The authors report a set of experiments that use an implicit evaluative conditioning procedure to reduce automatically activated racial prejudice in White participants in a short period and with relatively few trials. Experiment 1 demonstrated that participants were unaware of the repeated conditioned stimulus–unconditioned stimulus (CS-US) pairings of Black-good and White-bad. In Experiment 2, the procedure was found to be effective in reducing prejudice as indicated by an evaluative priming measure of automatically activated racial attitudes. In Experiment 3, this reduction in prejudice was found to persist throughout a 2-day separation between the conditioning procedure and the administration of the dependent measure. The implications of the present findings for the persistence of automatically activated racial prejudice are discussed.
Associations Between Appearance-Related Self-Discrepancies and Young Women's and Men's Affect, Body Satisfaction, and Emotional Eating: A Comparison of Fixed-Item and Participant-Generated Self-Discrepancies
Authors: Halliwell Emma , Dittmar Helga
Published: March 2006

This study examines the associations between appearancerelated, actual-ideal self-discrepancies—from both own and romantic partner's standpoints—and negative affect, body satisfaction, and eating behavior. It extends previous research through studying both genders and the romantic partner standpoint, but its main novel contribution is a systematic comparison between idiographic, participant-generated, and nomothetic, fixed-item measures of appearance-related selfdiscrepancies. The findings show that these measures cannot be, and should not be, treated as equivalent. The idiographic measures were superior in predicting outcome variables when considering the own standpoint. Nomothetic measures did demonstrate some gender-specific associations, but only from the romantic partner standpoint, and only for women. These findings can be explained with respect to the assessment of accessible, versus available, self-discrepancies. Implications for selfdiscrepancy and body image theory and research are discussed.
Translation in the Health Professions
Authors: Sussman Steve , Valente Thomas W. , Rohrbach Louise A. , Skara Silvana , Ann Pentz Mary
Published: March 2006

The systematic translation of evidence-based research findings, tools, and information into practice is critical to improving the quality of our nation’s health. However, despite several decades of advances in developing medical knowledge based on high-quality empirical evidence, widespread implementation of these findings into practice in diverse applied settings has not been achieved. This article reviews definitions and conceptual models that describe the translation of research from basic discovery to real-world applications, summarizes the various issues involved in the process of translation, discusses multiple barriers, and provides recommendations to surmount these hurdles. Areas of further research in this arena are suggested. Finally, the article concludes that translational research is an important area to continue to pursue requiring long-term collaborative commitment among researchers and practitioners.
Translational Research in Child and Adolescent Transportation Safety
Authors: Simons-Morton Bruce G. , Winston Flaura Koplin
Published: March 2006

Motor vehicle crash (MVC)–related injury is the leading cause of death among youths age 1 to 19 years. Advances in MVC and injury prevention depend on interrelated combinations of technology, policy, and education, and research on these topics can inform policy and lead to improvement in safety. This article presents two examples of translational research in transportation injury prevention. In the first example of child passenger protection, the authors describe a program of research designed to reduce the gap between the theoretical and practical effectiveness of safety methods. In the second example of novice teen drivers, the authors examine translational research related to two complementary approaches to reducing the exposure of novice teen drivers to high-risk driving conditions—graduated driver licensing policy and parental management of novice teen drivers. The examples suggest the utility of systematic programs of research designed to improve the translation into practice of MVC and injury prevention technology and policy.
Translation as a Function of Modality
Authors: Werch Chudley (Chad) , Grenard Jerry L. , Burnett Jeanpaul , Watkins Julia A. , Ames Steve , Jobli Edessa
Published: March 2006

The purpose of this article is to examine the potential of brief intervention (BI) as a modality for translating health behavior intervention research into practice. We discuss common definitions of BI, applications within common models of translation research, effects of BI on a range of health behaviors and across various populations, current and potential mechanisms, and uses for dissemination to practice. A number of advantages of BI suggest they are well suited for translating behavioral research. In addition, findings from 13 systematic reviews of BI effects show their potential versatility. Basic research on motivation, decision making, and persuasion may be applied to the design of BIs (Type 1 translation). Suggestions for translating BI research into practice are discussed (Type 2 translation). The article concludes that efforts to use BIs to translate research into practice are currently underdeveloped. Recommendations are provided for using BI in translating research into practice.
Evaluating the Relevance, Generalization, and Applicability of Research
Authors: Green Lawrence W. , Glasgow Russell E.
Published: March 2006

Starting with the proposition that “if we want more evidence-based practice, we need more practice-based evidence,” this article (a) offers questions and guides that practitioners, program planners, and policy makers can use to determine the applicability of evidence to situations and populations other than those in which the evidence was produced (generalizability), (b) suggests criteria that reviewers can use to evaluate external validity and potential for generalization, and (c) recommends procedures that practitioners and program planners can use to adapt evidencebased interventions and integrate them with evidence on the population and setting characteristics, theory, and experience into locally appropriate programs. The development and application in tandem of such questions, guides, criteria, and procedures can be a step toward increasing the relevance of research for decision making and should support the creation and reporting of more practice-based research having high external validity.