Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Goal Orientation Heterogeneity In Teams: Investigating Implications For Individual Satisfaction With The Team And Team Conflict, Kyle A. Cameron

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The primary purpose of this research was to examine how goal orientation heterogeneity in teams relates to both individual satisfaction with the team and team conflict. Based on current research on team member heterogeneity and goal orientation, I hypothesized, at the individual level of analysis, that goal orientation dissimilarity would be negatively related to individual satisfaction with the team and, at the team level of analysis, that goal orientation diversity would be positively related to relationship and task conflict. Data were collected from a sample of 420 engineering students working on complex design projects in 101 project teams. Results indicate …

Psychological Contracts: A Feature Based Approach To Understanding Transactional And Relational Contracts, Brittney K. Anderson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Feature-based measures have been suggested as a solution to some of the many issues associated with measuring psychological contracts. This study involved the refinement of an existing feature-based measure, including adding and rewriting items, to provide a concise but comprehensive and generalizable measure of transactional and relational psychological contracts. Data were collected from an online sample of full-time employees. Analyses revealed three main psychological contract feature dimensions (transactional, individual relational, and group relational) clustered into three contract types (predominantly transactional, predominantly relational, and balanced). Moreover, the balanced contract type had the highest mean score on positive workplace outcome variables, such …

Employee Voice And Recipients' Appraisals/Reactions: The Effects Of Speech Style, Voice Type, And Voicer Status, Yongsuhk Jung

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this research was to investigate the consequences of employee voice (i.e., the expression of information, ideas, or concerns for organizational development), primarily focusing on voice assertiveness (i.e., the extent of voicing individuals’ assertive expressions) and its influences on perceptual appraisals and reactions of voice recipients. Based on a literature review, I proposed a process model that described the influential mechanisms of voice assertiveness. I also defined moderating conditions that may guide the nature of the influence processes, such as voice type (promotive voice vs. prohibitive voice), voicer status (subordinate vs. peer), and recipient core self-evaluations. From two …

Effects Of Classroom Design And Atmosphere Towards Affective Reactions And Memory Of Content, Brittney Bonnick

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of the present study was to investigate how a classroom’s design can alter an

individual’s memory of content and affective reactions towards the experience. 123 University of

Western Ontario Undergraduate students who were part of a first year psychology participation

pool listened to a video lecture on schizophrenia and then completed two paper and pencil

questionnaires. The first was a multiple-choice assessment of participant memory for lecture

material, and the second was a Likert scale on the perceived learning experience. The

atmosphere of the classroom as well as the design of the desk arrangements was changed for

different …

The Nature Of Conflict In Sport: Development And Validation Of The Group Conflict Questionnaire, Kyle F. Paradis

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of the present dissertation was to develop a questionnaire to assess intra-group conflict in sport teams. To this end, the current dissertation consisted of three phases which followed a logical progression that is typical in the questionnaire development process. A total of (N = 752) participants took part in the three phases (Phase 1: N = 10; Phase 2: N = 437; Phase 3: N = 305).

Phase 1 was a qualitative investigation of athletes’ (N = 10) perceptions of the nature of conflict in sport. This phase was undertaken to gain a better understanding of the conflict …

Attributions & Resiliency: An Analysis Of The Resiliency-Attribution Association, Aaron J. Halliday

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study sought to provide support for the King-Rothstein (2010) model of resiliency and to establish an understanding of the relationship between resiliency and causal attributions. A cross-sectional study investigated these relationships using an online questionnaire battery. Some associative and predictive relationships were found between causal attributions and resiliency. Components of resiliency were predictive of job satisfaction and support and symptoms of psychological illness. Given a path analysis, the King-Rothstein model of resiliency was found to be most predictive of the outcome symptoms of psychological illness (over job satisfaction and support or wellbeing). Finally, mediation analysis revealed self-regulatory processes fully …

The Independence Of Burnout And Engagement: Incremental Predictive Validity And Construct Reappraisal As Different Combinations Of The Same Components (Energy And Evaluation), Joe Choi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The present investigation was conducted in response to recent concerns regarding the redundancy/independence of two related constructs in I/O Psychology: Burnout and engagement. Using students in an academic context, I first addressed this issue by investigating the incremental validity of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) over the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and vice versa in the prediction of six criterion variables (academic performance, physical ill-being, positive affect, negative affect, subjective experience of growth, eudaimonic well-being) in a sample of undergraduate students. Contrary to the recent meta-analysis by Cole, Walter, Bedeian, and O’Boyle (2012), I did not find evidence for …

The Effectiveness Of Gain- Versus Loss-Framed Advertisements To Minimize Hazardous Drinking Among University Students: A Test Of Regulatory Fit, Barlas Gunay

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

University binge drinking is a concern. Traditionally, social norms marketing campaigns have been employed. Regulatory focus theory – based on the premise that behavior is driven either by the motivation to maximize gains (promotion) or to minimize losses (prevention) – offers an alternative approach to crafting persuasive appeals in this population. This study investigated the effectiveness of gain-framed versus loss-framed advertisements in lowering drinking intentions in a university sample. It further explored whether the effects were moderated by regulatory focus – primed and dispositional – and trait reactance. Online surveys were completed by 208 Introductory Psychology students (51.7% female, mean …

Trust In Functional And Dysfunctional Organizational Leaders: The Role Of Leadership Style, Employees’ Emotions And Trustworthiness Perceptions, Tatjana Ilic-Balas

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Trust in leaders is increasingly recognized as a crucial organizational variable; meta-analytic evidence suggests that trust is associated with important outcomes of job performance, organizational citizenship behaviors, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover, and counterproductive behavior (Colquitt, Scott & LePine, 2007; Dirks & Ferrin, 2002). In this research, I investigated how various functional and dysfunctional leadership styles influence employees’ emotions, perceptions of leader trustworthiness, and trust in leader and explored the mediating roles of employees’ emotions and trustworthiness perceptions in the relationships between leadership styles and trust. The overarching goal was to develop and test an integrated model of leadership, emotions, …

The Role Of The Resiliency Process In Skilled Immigrants' Job Search, Kelly Kisinger

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

For many skilled immigrants settling in Canada, the obtainment of employment is a difficult and lengthy process. The current study seeks to examine how skilled immigrants deal with the adversity of the job search by applying a process model of resiliency (King & Rothstein, 2010) to the job search of skilled immigrants. The study examined the interplay between individuals’ psychological characteristics, knowledge, and environment and their self-regulatory processes, and how those processes influenced the job search individuals performed and subsequent job search outcomes. Using a cross sectional design, 94 immigrants throughout Canada completed an online survey. The findings showed individuals’ …

The Relationship Between Culture And Counterproductive Workplace Behaviors: A Meta-Analysis, Olusore Anita Taylor

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In the last few decades, there has been a growing interest in counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) – behaviors that are deemed harmful to organizations and their employees (Bennett & Robinson, 2000). Unfortunately, little knowledge exists on the universality of well-established theories on CWBs across different cultures. Most theories have been developed using studies conducted in the United States and Canada, limiting our ability to confidently extrapolate these theories to other cultures.

In this study, I examine the relationship between culture and CWBs. Specifically, two questions are addressed. First, does culture have a direct relationship with CWBs? Using GLOBE’s cultural dimensions, …

The Effects Of Equity Sensitivity And Teamwork Self-Efficacy On Team Reward Preference, Hayden Jerney Randolph Woodley

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This investigation explored the extent to which individuals’ teamwork self-efficacy moderated the relations between their equity sensitivity orientation and their team reward attitude. Two studies were conducted to examine this relation. The first examined the dimensionality of equity sensitivity, whereas the second examined the relation among the three constructs. Participants (N = 1455) completed a battery of questionnaires through an online testing process that included measures of equity sensitivity, teamwork self-efficacy, and team reward attitudes. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis showed that equity sensitivity is bidimensional, consisting of two factors: input and outcome orientation. Moreover, results showed that teamwork …

Taking A Closer Look At Workplace Incivility: Dimensionality And Source Effects, Rima C. Tarraf

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this thesis was twofold. First, it sought to investigate whether taking a multi-foci approach to the study of workplace incivility would result in differential relations with affective commitment, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. In general, the results were supported. When the source of incivility was measured jointly, relations between incivility and organizational outcomes were overestimated. Measuring incivility from a supervisor and a co-worker separately showed that incivility from a supervisor was more strongly associated with job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Co-worker incivility was more strongly associated with affective commitment. Second, this thesis critically assessed the dimensionality of …

The Role Of Valence In Construct Dimensionality Debates, Chun Seng Kam

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

There continues to be debate about the dimensionality of important psychological constructs (e.g., anxiety; job satisfaction). The standard procedures for determining whether a construct is unidimensional or two-dimensional have been to (a) conduct factor analyses and (b) test for differences in the nomological network of correlations with other variables. I argue, and demonstrate empirically, that these approaches can sometimes mislead researchers to draw incorrect conclusions. In Study 1, I examined how item valence (i.e., favorability of item content) can affect factor analyses and nomological network analyses with two separate samples of undergraduate students. Results consistently showed that item valence can …

Coping Experiences Of 911 Communication Workers, Sarah G. Horsford

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This research explored coping experiences among emergency communications personnel. Ten individuals from a communication centre of a policing unit in Ontario participated in semi-structured interviews. Seven themes emerged to form the content analysis including Meaning-Focused Coping, Emotion-Focused Coping, Problem-Focused Coping, Reappraisal, Comm Centre Culture, Occupational Dimensions and Organizational Structure. Themes were compared to workplace stress, coping and burnout literature in addition to literature regarding organizational interventions and emergency responders. Implications were presented for counselors working with communications personnel and emergency responders.

Psychological Contracts In The Workplace: A Mixed Methods Design Project, Kate J. Mcinnis

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Employee perceptions of psychological contracts were explored in a mixed methods design project. Although psychological contract research has been popular since its inception over 50 years ago, the field makes a number of assumptions about how employees truly experience psychological contracts (Conway & Briner, 2009). The primary goal of the present research was to identify how psychological contracts should be measured and theorized to reflect the natural experiences and language of employees. In Study 1, I examined a number of the theory’s assumptions by asking employees in interviews about their psychological contract experiences. A descriptive phenomenological approach allowed me to …

The Moderating Effect Of Reciprocity Beliefs On Work Outcomes, Stephanie Hastings

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Researchers have long assumed that employees’ reactions to treatment by their organization are guided by reciprocity norms. Eisenberger, Huntington, Hutchison, and Sowa (1986) developed a measure to assess how sensitive employees were to reciprocity obligations, focusing in particular on their beliefs that work effort should depend on treatment by the organization. Since then, research has found that this Exchange Ideology (EI) predicts variables such as organizational citizenship but cannot predict negative outcomes such as workplace deviance. Insight into why this is the case can be found by examining the related construct of reciprocity orientation. Positive (PRO) and Negative Reciprocity Orientation …

Workplace Commitment And Employee Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis And Study Of Commitment Profiles, Elyse R. Maltin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Employee commitments have been connected to a multitude of organizationally- relevant variables, including turnover, absenteeism, job performance, and organizational citizenship behaviours (e.g., Meyer, Stanley, Herscovtich, & Topolnytsky, 2002). Research has repeatedly demonstrated that the form these commitments take matters; that is, research has shown that commitment based on a mindset of affective attachment has the strongest positive relations with desired outcomes, while commitment based on mindsets of social or economic costs has much weaker and sometimes even negative relations with these same outcomes.

Far less research exists on the connection between workplace commitments and their implications for employees themselves, although …

A Model, Leah K. Hamilton

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

to be released at conclusion of embargo.

A Social Relations Analysis Of Transactive Memory In Groups, Sarah J. Ross

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Transactive memory is the knowledge of what others in a group know and the exchange of that knowledge. In groups with effective transactive memory systems, members know “who knows what”, send knowledge to the appropriate individuals, and develop strategies for retrieving that information (Mohammed & Dumville, 2001; Wegner, 1995). Transactive memory studies tend to focus on the group as a whole, but useful information might be gathered by investigating transactive memory in dyads within groups. The purpose of this research was to use the social relations model (Kenny & LaVoie, 1984) as the basis for operationalizing transactive memory and …

Exploring Process Dissociation As A Tool For Investigating Discrimination In Hiring Situations, Rhys J. Lewis

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Process dissociation is introduced as a way to overcome methodological limitations currently hindering sexism research. Researchers have identified two main types of sexism in hiring contexts. Meta-analyses confirm that men are traditionally advantaged over women (Tosi & Einbender, 1985), and that both genders encounter discrimination when applying to a job typically associated with the other gender (Davison & Burke, 2000). One problem is that these two biases are often confounded. As a result, researchers have hitherto been limited to showing that the two biases exist, but are largely unable to quantify them.

A possible solution might be process dissociation. It …