bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Machiavellianism and attitudes towards the police
Authors: KEENAN A. , CLARKSON VALERIE
Published: August 2011

Seventy‐nine students completed a questionnaire designed to measure their attitudes towards the police in Britain. In addition they were asked to fill in Christie's Machiavellianism scale. In general, high Machiavellianism was associated with negative attitudes towards the police. The favourability of respondents' views about the police varied greatly with the particular aspect of police behaviour under consideration. Differential perceptions of the police with respect to Machiavellianism are discussed in terms of the occupational role of the policeman.
Subjective time estimates of work tasks by office workers
Authors: HARTLEY CRAIG , BRECHT MARK , PAGEREY PETER , WEEKS GERALD , CHAPANIS ALPHONSE , HOECKER DOUGLAS
Published: August 2011

Job information supplied by workers has many valuable uses in industry. While the reliability of self‐reports is well established in the literature, few validity studies have been reported. This study used an observational coding system to provide criterion data for assessing the accuracy of three kinds of worker self‐report: activity identification, activity rank ordering, and activity time estimation. Work activities for 36 office workers were coded by observers and compared with worker estimates obtained from a card‐sorting task and a written questionnaire.

Accuracy of the self‐report activity data decreased as more quantitative information was requested: workers were best at identifying the tasks which they had performed, they were less able to judge the relative amounts of time spent in those activities, and they were least able to say how much time they had spent in any one activity. We conclude that in the analysis of work, self‐report techniques provide greater quantification only at the expense of accuracy.
The measurement of stress in a sales training situation
Authors: BURROWS G. C. , COX T. , SIMPSON G. C.
Published: August 2011

Physiological and psychological instruments were used in the measurement of stress in an occupational training situation. The physiological instrument, the measurement of capilliary blood glucose levels, showed a progressive increase throughout the period of the exercise being observed. The psychological instrument, a stress and arousal adjective checklist (SACL), showed no significant changes in arousal but did show a significant drop in the level of reported stress across the task period. Correlational analysis permits the construction of a model which describes the relationship between the measures and also the results obtained. Changes in the training course are suggested which may alleviate some of the stressfulness perceived by the trainees.
Conditional program statements and their comprehensibility to professional programmers
Authors: GREEN T. R. G.
Published: August 2011

Programming languages embody two principal forms of conditional statement, the nesting if … then … else … form and the goto form. Sime, Green & Guest (1974) compared these two and a third variety not in common use, nesting with redundancy, and they found that non‐programmers learning to write programs based on conditionals obtained best results with this last variety. Their explanation emphasized the need to comprehend a program, and distinguished between two comprehension processes applicable to conditionals: tracing through a program like a computer, and finding how a particular point in a program might be reached. They hypothesized that comprehensibility differences occurred mainly in the second process. The present experiments compared response times of professional programmers in comprehension tasks requiring either the first process (Expt. I) or the second (Expt. II). Much larger differences between the three styles of conditional statements were found in the second task, favouring nesting with redundancy and thus supporting the hypothesis. Implications for research in this area and for programming language design are discussed.
The training of Underground train guards — A case study with a field experiment
Authors: DOWNS SYLVIA , ROBERTS ANDREW
Published: August 2011

An experimental training scheme, based on methods derived from the CRAMP system, was introduced for London Transport Underground guards. The existing training period and content were not altered. The objectives were to increase the pass rate and reduce the resignation rate of trainees during training, especially of both older men and those born overseas who are less likely to leave their jobs once they have passed the training period. Comparison of conventionally trained groups with experimental groups showed encouraging trends and the experimental scheme has now been adopted as the standard training programme by London Transport.
Status inconsistency and the technician's work adjustment
Authors: KOCH JAMES L.
Published: August 2011

This study examines Homans' proposition that an inconsistent status profile causes individuals to feel dissatisfied and to balance rankings at as high a level as possible on the various status dimensions being considered.

The sample (n = 501) comprised a diverse group of technicians in a large federal agency. Six status dimensions were considered: knowledge, skill, responsibility, prestige, authority and opportunity for advancement. The criterion measures associated with status inconsistency included: job dissatisfaction; increased levels of interest in unionization; heightened interest in occupational certification; and reduced occupational and organizational commitment.

In general, technicians possess extremely high levels of confidence in their knowledge and skill, but in self‐comparisons with professionals they do not fare well on the status dimensions of authority, prestige and opportunity for advancement. Important sources of this imbalance in the technician's status profile are identified. Attitudinal and behaviour consequences are discussed, and organizational alternatives for responding to this occupational concern are also suggested.
Research into inflation and conceptions of earnings
Authors: BEHREND HILDE
Published: August 2011

Some of the major findings of ten years' research are reviewed. The main issues are concerned with the impact of inflation on perceptions of prices, pay and pay increases, as well as comprehension problems connected with inflation. Finally the implications of the research are examined for policy‐makers engaged in the search for a workable incomes policy.
Some relationships between interviewers' personal feelings about candidates and their general evaluation of them
Authors: KEENAN A.
Published: August 2011

In a study of 551 initial graduate recruitment interviews, 103 interviewers provided a general evaluation of each interviewee. They also indicated how much they liked each applicant personally, and rated his intelligence. Fairly strong relationships were found between liking and overall evaluations, despite the fact that most interviewers did not expect to work with candidates personally. The relationship that was observed between ratings of intelligence and general evaluations was only slightly reduced when the effect of liking was held constant. This was interpreted as suggesting that there may be both affective and cognitive components in interviewers' evaluations of candidates. The possibility that interviewers allow their personal feelings about candidates to bias their judgement of them was also discussed.
Some pressing problems for research in vocational guidance
Authors: WALLIS DON
Published: August 2011

An account is presented first of practical problems in the national guidance services of the United Kingdom. Some differences of theoretical perspective between practitioners of ‘differentialist’ and ‘developmental’ approaches to vocational guidance are summarized and compared. An attempt is then made to reconcile these theoretical models, in the context of outline proposals for a computer‐based system which embodies the principal features of both careers and occupational guidance.
The Leicestershire Careers Advisory Service Computer Aid: CASCAID
Authors: ROBERTS C. P. , WITHERSPOON J. F.
Published: August 2011

CASCAID was conceived as a support tool for the use of LEA Careers Officers carrying out their appointed task of giving vocational guidance to students in secondary schools. The system arose out of the situation in which the practising Careers Officer finds himself; that of attempting to assimilate the plethora of information of which he should be aware, mentally processing this information in the interview situation, and producing realistic advice to his client. It is a very practical system, based on real needs and circumstances. It is not a guidance technique in itself nor does it predicate a particular guidance theory. Nationally, at the present time, there are often neither the resources within the Careers Service nor the vital preliminary careers education programme within the schools to provide the level of careers preparation which we would all wish. It is in this context that the usefulness and effectiveness of CASCAID has to be assessed. The present paper describes the development of the system up to and including its transition to CASCAID II, and describes its principal features.
Computer‐produced vocational guidance reports
Authors: SMITH MIKE
Published: August 2011

Vocational guidance has been a traditional area of interest for occupational psychologists for more than half a century. Its ‘technology’ has centred largely on the skills and experience of counsellors. This paper argues that the present technology is far from ideal and that computer‐based systems overcome many of the present shortcomings. It is also argued that, in the first instance, a simple batch processing system is the most realistic proposition. Finally, a brief description is given of a computer program to write vocational guidance reports.
An algorithm for integrating preference and like–dislike responses to the same test items
Authors: CLOSS S. J.
Published: August 2011

Interest tests often employ forced choice methods in which the subject is asked to state his preferences among a range of items. A major difficulty with the resulting scores is that the absolute strengths of the subject's interests, in terms of liking and disliking, cannot be inferred from the preferences alone. A much fuller picture can be obtained by eliciting from the subject both preference and like‐dislike responses to the test items but this yields two sets of score data which can give rise to difficulties in interpretation. This paper describes a simple algorithm by which such responses can be integrated into a single, readily interpretable, set of scores in the range 0 to 100. The procedure is not confined to interest tests but can be applied to any situation where similar ranking and rating procedures are used in parallel.
Self‐appraisal: A convergence of selection and guidance
Authors: DOWNS SYLVIA , FARR ROBERT M. , COLBECK LOGAN
Published: August 2011

In the course of validating, for selection purposes, a trainability test for industrial sewing machinists, incidental evidence came to light which suggested that job applicants might be able to make much the same inference about their suitability for a particular job as might personnel selectors. The rate at which individuals reported for work, all having been offered the job, was positively and consistently related to their suitability for training as assessed by the trainability test. The data relate to over 1000 job applicants in some 50 different factories. The data are interpreted as being compatible with a social and reflexive model of man, and the authors advocate that the potential usage of self‐appraisal devices within selection contexts be more fully explored.
Team nursing in a general hospital: Theory, results and limitations
Authors: BOEKHOLDT M. G. , KANTERS H. W.
Published: August 2011

The paper presents an overview of the way team nursing was implemented on several nursing wards of a general hospital. A summary is given of the results of action research on the change project.

In the discussion two limiting factors in the realization of team nursing are elaborated upon These are factors in the environment of the nursing ward and factors on the level of the individual nurse. An alternative theoretical model on the therapeutic interaction between nurse and patient is presented.
Factors associated with labour turnover among ancillary staff in two London hospitals
Authors: WILLIAMS ALLAN , LIVY BRYAN , SILVERSTONE ROSALIE , ADAMS PAUL
Published: August 2011

Three interrelated groups of factors influence labour turnover: economic, organizational and personal. This paper explores the generality of certain previous findings; it examines the relevance of selected variables affecting labour turnover rates of ancillary staff in two hospitals and the complex relationship between turnover and absenteeism. The reported studies are based on data derived from personnel records and an attitude survey. In general the findings corroborate relationships found in other organizational settings; possible methodological weaknesses are identified to account for certain discrepancies. The negative relationship between turnover and absenteeism reinforces conclusions reached in some recent reviews. The need is emphasized for more carefully designed research to examine the interrelationships between labour turnover, absenteeism and job satisfaction.
An exploration of the relationships between performance feedback interview characteristics and interview outcomes as perceived by managers and subordinates
Authors: NEMEROFF WAYNE F. , WEXLEY KENNETH N.
Published: August 2011

The relationships between five performance feedback characteristics (supportive appraisal behaviour, invitation to participate, participation in goal setting, proportion of time spoken, and criticism) and three criterion measures (satisfaction with feedback interview, motivation to improve, and satisfaction with manager) were studied in an organization. Supportive appraisal behaviour was significantly related to all three criteria as perceived by subordinates (n = 78) and satisfaction with feedback interview as rated by managers (n = 39). Invitation to participate had its most significant effect on subordinate satisfaction with the feedback session. Participation in goal setting was most predictive of a subordinate's motivation to improve. Practical applications of these findings for management development are discussed.
Mass psychogenic illness in organizations: An overview
Authors: COLLIGAN MICHAEL J. , MURPHY LAWRENCE R.
Published: August 2011

Published and unpublished reports of mass psychogenic illness, defined as the collective occurrence of physical symptoms and related beliefs among two or more persons in the absence of an identifiable pathogen, are reviewed with particular emphasis on organizational occurrences. A number of factors (e.g. boredom, sex‐role identification, interpersonal conflict, physical stress) are identified as potential precipitating conditions, and the contagion of symptoms is discussed in terms of the convergence–contagion dichotomy in collective behaviour suggested by Milgram & Toch (1969).
Occupational perception and school stream in relation to job classifications, preferences and prestige for 17 year old girls and boys
Authors: REEB M.
Published: August 2011

It is suggested that underlying most occupational classifications is a consensus of job perceptions, which can be reduced from elicited ratings of job similarities to multidimensional diagrammatic representations. Previous work is reviewed. Similarity ratings on 15 jobs, made by 101 Israeli 17 year olds, showed relative homogeneity within Roe, Holland and Flanagan fields, but the postulated order of fields within each system was not supported. Multidimensional scaling analysis yielded a cognitive map of the occupations with four fields which were more homogeneous, and corresponded to school vocational streams. Job locations in the map are unrelated to occupational prestige. Independently elicited desirability rankings, reduced by a novel technique to multidimensional affective representations, yielded the same fields, with jobs arranged differently, so as to correspond strongly to prestige gradients. All results are very similar for both sexes.
A practically oriented and objective method for classifying and assigning senior jobs*
Authors: DULEWICZ S. VICTOR , KEENAY GORDON A.
Published: August 2011

This paper describes a method for producing a job classification scheme which was developed on a group of senior jobs in the UK Civil Service. Data about Activities and Knowledge required in a sample of the jobs were collected by means of a structured questionnaire. Factor and cluster analyses of these data were used to devise the scheme. The results were presented to the 524 incumbents who had completed questionnaires and an overwhelming majority regarded the resultant scheme as accurate and sensible. A second follow‐up study allowed assignment techniques to be developed and provided a cross‐validation of the results. The method used and potential uses of such schemes are discussed.
When personality meets situation: Exploring influences on choice of business major
Authors: BARNOWE J. THAD , FROST PETER J. , JAMAL MUHAMMAD
Published: August 2011

Students who self‐select a business school education are exposed to many situational influences (teachers, courses, grades, peers, information about job market and salaries) which further affect their career choices. A model of personal specialization distinguishing individuals' affective predispositions toward persons and things in the environment provided four categories of person/thing orientation: person specialist, thing specialist, generalist and non‐specialist. The possibility that person/thing orientation interacts with situational influences to affect choice of business major was tested by examining specific correlations, using as a dependent variable the extent to which the chosen major involves dealing with persons (as opposed to things). Although most correlations were low, the findings support a positive relationship between combinations of situational factors with person/thing orientation and the person involvement of chosen field.
The Content of Journals Relevant to Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Authors: WARR PETER
Published: August 2011

Content analyses of 10 principal journals relevant to industrial and organizational psychology are presented, covering 1 582 papers published in the years 1976 to 1978 inclusive. One analysis is in terms of the topic areas covered (personnel psychology, human factors psychology, occupational social psychology, and six other categories), and a second examination is in terms of three types of paper: empirical research study, critique or review, or suggested procedures and methods. Data are also provided about the length of articles in each journal, and the location and number of authors. Factual comparisons between journals are followed by a summary of the current policy of the Journal of Occupational Psychology.
A Biographical Profile of Women in Management
Authors: PLACE HELEN
Published: August 2011

The small percentage of all employed women holding administrative or managerial positions indicates that women are not reaching those work positions likely to use to the full their potential ability. One suggested reason for this situation is that women neither plan for a business career nor avail themselves of training appropriate for management progression within the business world. The decisive stage in this area is the work choice made while still at school, so a need is seen for a means of identifying girls likely to succeed in business administration. This would enable selection of an appropriate course of study with the aim of entry into business as a manager, rather than following the traditional female secretarial route. In this study of 130 female New Zealand managers, the biographical information was directed at eliciting those life history items pertaining to areas of development and experience likely to provide predictors of managerial effectiveness. The critical factor is the development of an internalized locus of control: the girl who perceives herself as controlling and mastering her adolescent environment is likely to become the woman who succeeds in management.
Non‐verbal behaviour and the outcome of selection interviews
Authors: FORBES RAY J. , JACKSON PAUL R.
Published: August 2011

Non‐verbal behaviour (NVB) is an important component of the selection interview, yet it has received limited attention in the literature. In particular, little published research has examined NVB in real‐life interviews. A study is described in which 101 school‐leavers were interviewed by a four‐member panel for places on an engineering apprentice training scheme. The NVB of each candidate was categorized during the interview using a schedule of 10 classes of NVB divided into 30 components. When the interviews were grouped by outcome, i.e. accept, reserve, and reject, differences were found on several important classes of NVB. Alternative causal hypotheses are suggested for the observed relationship between NVB in the interview and the decision which was made.
Moderating factors of the psychological impact of unemployment
Authors: HEPWORTH SUE J.
Published: August 2011

This study is an exploration of some of the factors important in determining a man's subjective reaction to the experience of unemployment. Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire was used as a normative measure of mental health, and a Present Life Satisfaction Scale was used as a measure of subjective well‐being. Length of unemployment was inversely correlated with mental health and well‐being; and semi‐skilled and unskilled men had poorer psychological well‐being during unemployment than those of higher occupational status. The best single predictor of mental health during unemployment was whether or not a man felt his time was occupied.
The impact of unemployment upon the self‐esteem of managers
Authors: HARTLEY JEAN F.
Published: August 2011

Previous writers have suggested that a major psychological consequence of job loss and unemployment is a lowering of self‐esteem, although there has been little contemporary investigation, particularly at the managerial and professional level. The empirical validity of the proposition was assessed through the comparison of 87 unemployed middle and senior managers with 64 employed managers, and through both longitudinal and cross‐sectional analysis of the relationship between level of self‐esteem and length of unemployment at the time of research contact. Self‐esteem was assessed through a self‐report questionnaire and through interviews with some of the managers and their wives. The results failed to support the proposition: self‐esteem was not lower amongst the unemployed managers and did not decline with longer unemployment. The qualitative analysis suggested a variety of reactions, in terms of self‐esteem, to unemployment. It would appear that a more complex understanding of the psychological processes in unemployed managers is needed. In particular there is a need to use the term self‐esteem in a more discriminating manner; to recognize individual differences in circumstances and reactions to unemployment; and to acknowledge the assumptions and values attached to the concepts of work and unemployment.
Sex differences in interest measurement
Authors: BLOCH TOVA
Published: August 2011

A Hebrew version of the Brook Test was used as an unbiased, non‐suggestive instrument to measure the difference in interests between boys and girls aged 14–18 (grade 9–12). The largest difference (one standard deviation) was in technical interest.

A group of 166 adults from four occupations was used to cross‐check the results. In this group the interests related much more to the subjects' occupations than to their sex.
Recruiting apprentices: The use of the Job Disposition Questionnaire
Authors: MOTTRAM ROGER , CLARKE AILEEN , DOWNS SYLVIA
Published: August 2011

The Job Disposition Questionnaire (JDQ) is being developed as an aid to the occupational guidance, selection and placement of young people. The first phase of a long‐term study in the Electricity Supply Industry suggests that the JDQ can be used to identify those applicants who have the same attitude to the conditions and content of a job as apprentices with 2 or 3 years' experience; and further, that it can be used to distinguish between the ‘job disposition’ of apprentices in different trades within the apprenticeship scheme. The implication of these results for the usefulness of the JDQ in selecting and placing apprentices in the industry is discussed.
Occupational psychology through autobiography
Authors: Murrell Hywel
Published: August 2011

The Journal of Occupational Psychology is publishing a number of invited personal accounts by psychologists who have made their mark on the history of the subject. This contribution is by Hywel Murrell, a pioneer in human factors research.
Employment, work involvement and mental health in less qualified young people
Authors: STAFFORD ELIZABETH M. , JACKSON PAUL R. , BANKS MICHAEL H.
Published: August 2011

Seven months after school‐leaving 647 young people were interviewed. Path analysis was used to examine the predictors of unemployment and psychological well‐being. It was found that young people were at risk of being unemployed if they had an unemployed father, few or no qualifications, low work motivation, and if they were West Indian. Young people who were unemployed, from social class 4 and 5, or female, had poor mental health as measured by the General Health Questionnaire. Work involvement moderated the relationship between employment status and mental health.
A note about tactics used to influence superiors, co‐workers and subordinates
Authors: RIM Y. , EREZ M.
Published: August 2011

One hundred and twenty‐five middle managers provided information about their reasons for influencing their boss, co‐workers or subordinates and also details about the methods of influence used. Factor analysis of the latter data suggested six principal groups of influence tactics. These are described.
Some implications of lie scale scores in real‐life selection
Authors: ELLIOTT A. G. P.
Published: August 2011

Several studies, simulated and actual, have found that job applicants return higher scores on distortion scales in personality questionnaires than similar people who are not undergoing selection; this has been attributed to motivation. This study examines the test results of more than 700 male and female subjects in a variety of real‐life selection programmes. It concludes that distortion is related to the stress of the circumstances in which testing takes place, and suggests a modified interpretation of the role of lie scales.
Inter‐rater reliability in the assessment of group exercises at a UK assessment centre
Authors: JONES ALAN
Published: August 2011

The principles and history of the assessment centre method are briefly examined and the key nature of the simulation exercise in it discussed. Evidence on the inter‐rater reliability of evaluations based on one class of simulation (group exercises) is reviewed. Four studies are reported showing mean inter‐rater reliability coefficients for summary evaluations between 0.65 and 0.73 for two types of exercises before pooling evaluations and between 0.67 and 0.86 for four types of exercises after pooling evaluations of candidates. The implications of these results and possible ways of improving inter‐rater reliability are discussed. The need for work on the repeat, alternate form, and internal consistency reliabilities of group exercises is raised.
The psychosocial impact of a labour dispute
Authors: MACBRIDE ARLENE , LANCEE WILLIAM , FREEMAN STANLEY J. J.
Published: August 2011

As a by‐product of a larger investigation, this paper examines the psychosocial impact of a 1976 labour dispute among Canadian air traffic controllers. Questionnaires were administered to the controllers during the dispute and during two subsequent periods of routine operations, four and 10 months later. The level of distress, as measured by the 30‐item General Health Questionnaire, was significantly higher during the dispute than during routine operations. The labour dispute was also accompanied by deterioration in perceived general functioning, perceived health and perceived anxiety. However, no increase in use of medical services was documented in the two‐month period surrounding the dispute. Nor did the findings demonstrate any direct causal relationship between the salient issue of the dispute (i.e. the implementation of bilingual air communication in parts of Canada) and the increase in distress level during the dispute. Implications for the focus of future research in the field of labour disputes are discussed.
Sex differences in perceptions of desired rewards, availability of rewards, and abilities in relation to occupational selection
Authors: WHEELER KENNETH G.
Published: August 2011

The perception of the rewards desired in an occupation, the rewards perceived to be available in an occupation, and the perceived match of abilities to those required in an occupation are examined for male and female college students majoring in business and for female students majoring in education. The findings indicate that females choosing business as an occupation are very similar to males choosing business, in their perceptions of their desired outcomes in relation to those available in an occupation and in their perceptions of their abilities in relation to those required by an occupation. On the other hand, females choosing business show significant differences in comparison to females choosing education in all of these dimensions. The implication is that there are very few sex differences in these perceptions when choice of occupation is held constant.
Advanced technology and the quality of working life: The effects of word processing on video typists
Authors: BUCHANAN DAVID A. , BODDY DAVID
Published: August 2011

This article presents the findings of a case study which describes the impact of word processing technology on the characteristics of typing jobs in an engineering consultancy. Examination of company documents and interviews with managers indicated that the decision to adopt this technology was influenced by pressures and people within the organization, rather than by external forces. Interviews with typists indicated that the change from copy typing to word processing had reduced task variety, meaning and contribution, control over work scheduling and boundary tasks, feedback of results, involvement in preparation and auxiliary tasks, and communication with authors. The change had increased pay and promotion opportunities, and control over typing quality. The overall pattern of skills and knowledge required by typists had altered. These changes were determined weakly and indirectly by the technology of word processing, and strongly and directly by management decisions about the way in which the typists' work was reorganized and controlled. Management felt that closer control over typing work would increase productivity. The new work organization achieved this control, but appeared to restrict the typists' ability to exploit fully the potential benefits of the new technology.
The measurement of shop‐floor job satisfaction: The convergent and discriminant validity of the Worker Opinion Survey
Authors: SOUTAR GEOFFREY N. , WEAVER JOHN R.
Published: August 2011

The Worker Opinion Survey, developed by Cross (1973), is a useful job satisfaction instrument with many desirable features. However, it has not been validated to any extent. The present paper reports a study which examined the convergent and discriminant validity of the Worker Opinion Survey in relation to the Job Descriptive Index in a variety of ways. The results supported the validity of the Worker Opinion Survey and strengthened its usefulness as a research instrument.
Job perceptions when working with data, people and things
Authors: ROUSSEAU DENISE M.
Published: August 2011

In a national probability sample of the adult working population in the United States, 1515 Americans participated in a structured interview. This survey provided data on individual job perceptions and occupational characteristics. Occupational information was coded using the skill codes employed by the Department of Labor's Dictionary of Occupational Titles: the Data, People, and Thing hierarchies originally developed by Fine (1968). Analysis of the data indicates that perceived job characteristics are correlated with the level of data‐oriented and people‐oriented skills used in the job. Further, task characteristics such as autonomy and variety correlate more highly with the skill codes than do role characteristics such as conflict and ambiguity. Results also suggest that task characteristics are linearly related to data‐ and people‐oriented skills; but non‐linearly related to thing‐oriented skills. Based on these results, it is concluded that the type and level of skill used on the job contribute significantly to employee work experiences.
Reasons for entering medical school in relation to value priorities and sex of student
Authors: FEATHER N. T.
Published: August 2011

A sample of 139 medical students (87 male, 52 female) at an Australian university took part in a questionnaire study in which they completed the Rokeach Value Survey and rated the importance of various reasons for their decision to take up medicine as a career. It was found that the students tended to endorse social/altruistic reasons (working with people, helping others) and the opportunity to become involved in a challenging occupation as the most important reasons for their occupational choice. Other reasons, such as satisfying one's parents or having the opportunity to achieve high social status and to benefit financially, were rated much lower in importance. In comparison with females, male students tended to rate personal, agentic reasons as more important, and interpersonal, expressive reasons as less important. The students' value priorities were related in predictable ways to the importance ratings they assigned to particular reasons, especially to status/materialistic reasons. Results were assumed to provide evidence about the self‐concepts of medical students. It was suggested that future research might investigate how these self‐concepts might change during training and in medical practice, and the extent to which actual behaviour in the work situation would be consistent with these self‐concepts.
The use of job component analysis and related aptitudes in personnel selection
Authors: SPARROW J. , PATRICK J. , SPURGEON P. , BARWELL F.
Published: August 2011

This case study concerns the development of selection criteria for the job of setter in the plastics injection‐moulding industry. The methodology employed a structured job analysis technique (the Position Analysis Questionnaire) and its related attribute bank to identify those aptitudes which are involved in the setter's job. Those aptitudes which were identified as highly relevant were then translated into five appropriate psychometric measures with which a sample of 14 setters was tested. The concurrent validity of two of these measures with overall job performance was found to be high (R = +0.91). The implications of this result are discussed in the context of the present case study, together with the potential use of this methodology for personnel selection.
Are professional women overworked? Objective versus subjective perception of role loads
Authors: YOGEV SARA
Published: August 2011

This was a study of 164 faculty women's estimation of the time they spend on their professions, their housework and child care. The focus of the study was to compare their reports about time spent on these activities with their feelings of being overworked. The subjects were divided into four groups according to their marital and motherhood status. Although all subjects reported working many hours, they did not report feeling particularly overworked. Those who have children, and by their own report work well over 107 hours per week, felt no more overloaded than did the childless subjects who reported working about 78 hours a week. The study makes a distinction between objective‐quantitaties perception of role load and subjective‐qualitative perception of role load. It also offers possible explanations for the findings.
Work sample tests: Validity, adverse impact and applicant reaction
Authors: ROBERTSON I. T. , KANDOLA R. S.
Published: August 2011

Work sample tests are assigned to one of four categories: (i) psychomotor, (ii) individual, situational decision making, (iii) job‐related information and (iv) group discussion/decision making. Validity data drawn from over 60 studies are presented and show that psychomotor work sample tests and group discussions predict job performance relatively well when compared with more conventional forms of psychological testing, such as intelligence or personality tests. Data showing other validity relationships are presented, and the importance of point‐to‐point correspondence between predictors and criteria is discussed. Research on the adverse impact of work sample tests and the applicant reaction to such tests is reviewed and suggests that the tests may help to reduce adverse impact and produce positive reactions from candidates.
The relative importance of potential outcomes of occupational guidance: An assessment by occupational guidance officers
Authors: SHACKLETON V. J. , SPURGEON P. C.
Published: August 2011

The ‘intangible’ outcomes of occupational guidance were first examined in terms of the extent to which they were an adequate description of the occupational guidance process. Subsequently, a relative weighting was imposed on these outcomes on the basis of judgements made by 12 occupational guidance officers. Two methods were employed and compared; (1) rankings; (2) the Churchman & Ackoff (1954) technique to yield an approximate measure of value.

A considerable degree of agreement was evident in the guidance officers' ordering of the outcomes, and there was a similarly high level of consistency in the results from the two methods. The relative merits of the techniques are considered, and the need for additional information from the client population is indicated.
The relationship between previous experience, intelligence and background characteristics of participants and their performance in an assessment centre
Authors: DULEWICZ VICTOR , FLETCHER CLIVE
Published: August 2011

It is important to determine whether an assessment centre measures aptitude or merely certain characteristics of the participant, such as past experience at work and intelligence, which could be assessed by other less sophisticated means. This study investigated the performance of 81 middle managers whose potential for senior management was being assessed. Measures of overall potential and overall performance in the situational exercises were related to participants' previous experience (their functional specialism and specific work experience) and their seniority (grade), age, educational attainment and intelligence. Previous experience was not significantly related to overall performance and had a significant effect on performance in only one exercise. Intelligence was significantly related to overall performance and to performance in many of the exercises. Younger participants tended to be assessed as having greater potential, whilst managerial grade was not relevant. The main conclusions were that intelligence tests are useful for screening candidates and that past experience appears to have little effect on performance. The assessment centre appears to be evaluating managerial aptitude rather than previous experience.
How professional persons keep their calendars: Implications for computerization
Authors: KELLEY J. F. , CHAPANIS ALPHONSE
Published: August 2011

Twenty‐three professional persons were interviewed extensively to find out how they keep their appointment calendars and to extract from that information suggestions about how calendars could be computerized. For the majority of the persons interviewed calendars are indispensable to the conduct of their business, and, in some cases, their personal lives. At the same time the data show an unexpectedly large amount of diversity in the kinds of calendars people use and in the ways they use them. Substantially more than half of the respondents have more than one calendar, with two persons using as many as six calendars at once. Portability and access from diverse locations are important for many persons. Concerns about privacy vary widely: some persons keep their calendars closely guarded, others allow free access to them. Relevant time spans covered by calendars are enormous. Some few people are concerned only with the current day and the day following, others may plan appointments a year or more in advance. A substantial number of appointments are changed after they have been made and, once again, the range is large, from about 2 per cent for some persons to about 80 per cent for others. Archiving, query patterns, and the insertion of correlated information into calendars also vary greatly among various users.
Evaluation of a traditional selection system in predicting success of females in officer training
Authors: TZINER AHARON , DOLAN SHIMON
Published: August 2011

This study focuses on the evaluation of a traditional selection system for identifying the officer potential of women applicants for commissioned service in the Israeli military. Four hundred applicants were assessed utilizing well‐designed traditional instruments. The performance on each of these instruments was validated against the final score attained by the applicants in officer training.

The best predictor was found to be the peer nomination score. It was also found that a differentially weighted composite of the predictors was superior to an equal weighted composite. The implications of these findings are discussed with regard to the use of a well‐designed traditional selection system as an alternative to the assessment centre procedure for identifying officer potential.
The Protestant work ethic and attitudes towards unemployment
Authors: FURNHAM ADRIAN
Published: August 2011

The literature on personal correlates of Protestant work ethic beliefs and the relationship between these beliefs and various aspects of paid work is briefly reviewed. A study is described which examines the relationship between Protestant work ethic beliefs and attitudes to unemployment. Subjects rated the importance of various explanations for unemployment in Britain, as well as their agreement with statements about social security (welfare) payments to the unemployed. As predicted, people who strongly endorsed the Protestant work ethic stressed negative individualistic explanations for unemployment and were, by and large, more against welfare payments than those who did not strongly endorse those beliefs. The results are discussed in terms of the psychology of lay economic explanations, and some implications for social change are noted.
Unemployment, disability and rehabilitation centres and their effects on mental health*
Authors: KEMP NIGEL J. , MERCER ANNIE
Published: August 2011

This paper describes an investigation into the impact of unemployment, disability and also rehabilitation centres on mental health. A measure of mental health was administered to clients entering an Employment Rehabilitation Centre, and again on completion of their course. The findings clearly show that unemployed people at the beginning of an ERC course report low levels of mental health. This was particularly so for severely physically and psychologically disabled people, and also for older clients. The evidence also showed a significant improvement in mental health for all categories of individuals who completed the course; this was most marked for those who were severely physically disabled. Improvements in mental health were associated with rated performance and also with the length of time spent on the course.
Predicting occupational entry: Measured versus expressed interests
Authors: CROWLEY A.D.
Published: August 2011

Faced with a dearth of contemporary data about the predictive validity of interest measures at a time of economic recession, the study compared several methods by which occupational entry might be predicted. In an investigation of material originally completed by 13‐year‐old pupils in Hertfordshire and North London, the most effective predictor appeared to be the two highest scales in an interests inventory; the least effective being those statements submitted by the pupils as representing the ambitions their parents held for them.
A note about paramedics' strategies for dealing with death and dying
Authors: PALMER C. EDDIE
Published: August 2011

Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians encounter death and dying routinely in the course of their jobs. Many times the death is not a clean and sterile occurrence but is witnessed and/or participated in under the most trying physical and emotional conditions. Using a participant observation approach, this research reveals that these workers are assisted in their response to death and dying by six principal coping aids: educational desensitization, humour, language alternation, scientific fragmentation, escape into work, and rationalization.
‘Objective’ and perceived task characteristics as a determinant of reactions by task performers
Authors: ALGERA JEN A.
Published: August 2011

This article presents results of an empirical study on the relationship between task design and worker responses. In much research on task design incumbents' job perceptions are assumed to reflect the objective character of the job and to influence attitudinal and behavioural responses. However, when both jobs and responses are assessed through the incumbent, a within‐person or cognitive consistency model is as plausible as a person‐situation model of job characteristics. In this study both independent assessments and incumbents' perceptions of jobs are used as predictors. The results show a substantial convergence in the patterns of correlations between job characteristics and responses in the two forms of measurement.
The halo effect: Is it a unitary concept?
Authors: FOX SHAUL , BIZMAN AHARON , HERRMANN EILEEN
Published: August 2011

Four alternative techniques are commonly used for measuring the halo effect in performance appraisal: dimension intercorrelations, factor analysis, raters x ratees interaction, and rating dispersion. The study tested the equivalence of these techniques by measuring possible differences in their respective estimates of halo when two variables were manipulated: the global impression held by the ratee (poor vs. excellent) and status relative to the rater (superior, colleague, subordinate). Each of 125 Israeli managers was asked to assess on a seven‐dimension form one outstanding and one poor superior, colleague and subordinate with whom they had worked. Findings indicate that the different measures of halo were differentially influenced by the manipulated variables. The intercorrelation and factor analysis measures yielded no significant differences among ratee groups, while both the standard deviation and the interaction measures were affected by the two manipulated variables. These findings suggest that the halo effect may be divided into two distinguishable types: covariance, reflected by intercorrelation and factor analysis methods, and co‐occurrence, measured by the interaction and dispersion methods. The article discusses the conceptual meaning of these types of halo and the factors to which they are differentially sensitive.
Mineworkers' scores on the Group Embedded Figures Test
Authors: SIMS M. T. , GRAVES R. J. , SIMPSON G. C.
Published: August 2011

The study examined the performance of 145 British miners on the Group Embedded Figures Test. Scores for this group are provided and compared with those currently available for other samples.