Psychology Commons^™

The Relationship Of Corporate Fitness To Absenteeism And Health Care Cost, Shawn J. Mcgahey

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Interest in corporate fitness is increasing. In this study, absenteeism rates and health care costs were measured for 12 months before and 12 months after implementation of a corporate fitness class. It was hypothesized that those who participate in the fitness program would have lower absenteeism rates and health care costs. It was also hypothesized that lifestyle factors would be significantly related to the decision to participate in the fitness program and to absenteeism.

Results showed no significant relationship between program participation and absenteeism. Also, it was found that average health care costs were lower before the program intervention and …

The Feasibility Of Computerized Cognitive Testing As A Surrogate Measure For Assessment Center Performance, Leilani M. De Saram

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The use of microcomputerized cognitive testing of personnel has thus far been limited to military and environmental stressor applications. The investigation of such testing as a substitute for assessment center performance represents a novel application of this technology. An examination of the relationship between performance on a cognitive test battery and assessment center performance was conducted.

A battery of selected microcomputerized tests measuring cognitive constructs was administered to assessment center candidates in law enforcement occupations. Contrary to expectations, the computerized cognitive measurements did not exhibit significant correlations with assessment center performance measures. It was speculated that the two measures assessed …

Escalation: A Closer Look At Allocation Decisions, David A. Hofmann

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The escalation of commitment to a particular course of action has, in the past eleven years, become an increasingly popular area for research in the psychological aspects of decision making. The major question posed by this line of research is: "Does an individual become so committed to a particular course of action that he/she can no longer analyze the situation objectively and, consequently, makes irrational decisions to continue investing when such activity is no longer advisable?" Staw (1981) states that the escalation phenomenon can occur when an individual becomes overly committed to a chosen course of action. He adds that …

Assessment Of The English Comprehension Level Test As A Predictor Of Success In Navy Recruit Training, Carla M. French

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

As of 1980, the total population of persons of Spanish origin in the United States was 14,609,000, or 6.4%, with over 2,000,000 of them Puerto Rican (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1983). Thousands of Hispanics are coming into the U.S. every year, both legally and illegally. They are the second largest minority in the U.S., and if growth continues at the current rate, they may outnumber Blacks by the year 2020 (Davis, Haub, & Willette, 1983).

Utility Analysis: Estimating The Sdy Parameter For Accounting Supervisors, Terry P. Brownson

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Personnel decisions have the potential to influence an entire organization. The effects of these decisions are more credible and relevant when quantified. Historically, benefits were defined in correlational statistics, i.e., validity coefficients. But the increasing demand is for a bottom-line or dollar-value definition. The utility concept presents a methodology for providing the dollar value impact on performance of a personnel intervention program. One parameter of a utility analysis model is the standard deviation of job performance in dollars (SDy). This research develops a SDy value for the yearly production contribution of a first level line accounting supervisor to be used …

Job Characteristics Model: Test Of A Modified Four-Trait Model At The University Of Central Florida, Gena L. Cox-Jones

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The study examined the number of significant factors in the Hackman and Oldham (1980) job characteristics model. The original factors were: Skill Variety, Task Significance, Task Identity, Autonomy, and Feedback. Scores on these dimensions for 84 employees of the University of Central Florida (21 supervisory and 63 non-supervisory subjects) were used as the basis for this study through a mail administration of the Hackman and Oldham Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) and their Job Rating Form (JRF). It was hypothesized that: (a) only four significant job dimensions would emerge from factor analysis of the data; (b) that the motivating potential ratings …

Person Perception And The Employment Interview: The Impact Of Facial Features In The Employee Selection Process, Susan C. Muller

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has found that the structural makeup of the face influences the manner by which individuals perceive others and attribute characteristics to them. In addition, support has been provided for the hypothesis that nonverbal cues significantly influence an interviewer's perception of a job candidate and the pending hiring decision. Taken together, this study hypothesized that the nonverbal cues emitted from the structural makeup of the face would impact the decision to hire and the perceptions of the job applicant's personality. It was also expected that variations in facial structure would influence an employer's decision in hiring the applicant for …

The Effects Of Locus Control Upon Pay Satisfaction, Richard A. Curle

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The issue of pay satisfaction is of increasing concern to management because of today's high cost of recruiting and training employees. Also of concern to management is the impact that a high employee turnover rate, due to pay dissatisfaction, can have on organizational effectiveness. Therefore, identifying the causes of, and reducing the probability of, employee pay dissatisfaction is desirable.

The Relationship Between Selected Personality Variables And Compulsive Gamblers In Treatment, Kevin E. Kip

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The empirical contributions of researchers on the personality characteristics associated with the identification and treatment of compulsive gambling have been largely piecemeal. As an active four year veteran of the Gamblers Anonymous program, the author has come to recognize that the vast majority of members comprising Gamblers Anonymous are persons typically not well versed in experimental design or research methodology techniques. Compounding this statement is the fact that it was not until the early 1980's that compulsive gambling (or synonomously stated as pathological gambling) became recognized by the American Psychiatric Association as a mental disorder with explicit diagnostic signs and …

Validity Of Student Evaluations: A Comparison Of Student Ratings To Instructor Self-Evaluations, Rebecca A. Hopson

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Preparation And Preparedness: A Study Of Curriculum Design In Terminal Master's Programs In Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Cynthia K. Rubin

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Graduate programs in Industrial/Organizational Psychology vary throughout the country with regard to curriculum design and content, raising the issue of preparation and its relationship to preparedness on the job. It was hypothesized that: (1) students with a greater amount of prior field experience would perceive themselves to be better prepared for the workplace than those with a lesser amount of such experience; (2) employers would perceive students who had received a greater amount of prior field experience as better preared than those with a lesser amount of such experience; and (3) students with previous work experience or job training in …

Factors Associated With Stress In Working Mothers, Jayne Roberts

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of The Moderating Effects Of Personality Variables On The Relationship Of Role Conflict And Role Ambiguity To Individual Performance, Adam J. Gross

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the moderating effects of personality variables on the relationship of role stress to performance. The sample consisted of 45 males and 57 females from undergraduate psychology classes at the University of Central Florida. Subjects completed the Adjective Check List (Gough & Heilbrun, 1965), a written decision-making exercise, and a derivative of the role conflict and role ambiguity scales developed by Rizzo, House, and Lirtzman (1970). these yielded personality, performance, and stress scores for each subject. Each personality variable (achievement, aggression, autonomy, flexibility, and introversion) was partialed out of the relationship between role …

Computer Assisted Instruction (Cai) Effect On Strategic Electronic Troubleshooting Performance, Virginia T. White

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Fitness Level, Type A Behavior, And Anxiety Levels In An Occupational Setting, Susan D. Kilduff

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

An assessment was made of the relationship between physical fitness level, anxiety level and Type A behavior in a non-clinical sample of healthy middle-age adults. Forty nine mid-level managers from Westinghouse Steam Generator and Turbine Division, world Headquarters participated by filling out a battery of tests, including the Jenkins Activity Survey, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a fitness questionnaire. No significant relationship was found between physical fitness level and Type A behavior. A significant negative relationship was found between physical fitness level and trait-anxiety. Trend analysis revealed a significant linear decrease in mean anxiety scores for groups of increasing levels …

The Effects Of Personal And Organizational Variables On Union Membership And Instrumentality Perceptions, Carole E. Barclay

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Absenteeism And Job Involvement, Work Orientation, Job Characteristics, And Satisfaction With Work, Greg H. Richardson

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Visual And Part-Task Manipulations For Teaching Simulated Carrier Landings, Daniel J. Sheppard

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

College Education And Police Officer Performance: A Critical Assessment, Gary T. Stafford

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Optimal Versus Suboptimal Decision-Making Models: Determination Of Aviator Task Proficiency, Melgarejo Betty Pereya

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Comparability Of Blind And Sighted Subject Test Scores As Affected By Mode Of Test Presentation, Gary A. Meiseles

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Role Conflict, Role Ambiguity And Job Tenure And Their Relationship To Absenteeism, Rita G. Huff

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Construct Differential Validity Of A Performance Appraisal System, Hughette I. Crumpler

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Factor Analytic Comparison Of The Work Values Of Divergent Groups, Janette A. Hankins

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

A new concept in motivation has recently been devised: that of work values. The Work Values Inventory (WVI) developed by Donald E. Super (1970) was used to test five hypotheses:

(1) The underlying work value structures of persons will not vary according to age;

(2) The underlying work value structures of persons will not vary according to sex;

(3) The underlying work value structures of persons will vary according to level (undergraduate, master's degree students, or post-master's degree);

(4) The underlying work value structures of college students will vary according to whether they are a psychology major or not;

(5) …

A Comparison Of The Relative Success Of Two Pay Incentive Plans Under Controlled Conditions, Richard J. Poole

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Machine Pacing Of Simulated Inspection Tasks On Physiological And Psychological Stress Reactions, Norma Roll

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to obtain data on the impact of machine-paced industrial inspection tasks upon workers. Psychological and physiological stress reaction measures were gathered from subjects under simulated work conditions. Typical stress indicators such as heart rate, electromyograph readings, temperature, and psychological stress scales comprised the raw data. After being subjected to statistical analysis, results and conclusions will be discussed in order to gain knowledge and insight as to the stress reactions of the machine-paced inspection worker, and to provide implications for further research.

An Evaluation Of A Visual Training Technique For Female Volleyball Players, Diane G. Burbank

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Fear Of Success And The Performance Of Males And Females In A Managerial Position, Joan A. Helms

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Validation Study Of The Federal Aviation Administration's Assessment Center For Facility Chiefs, Nancy K. Blagg

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Race And Work Value Orientation Of White-Collar Employees On Their Levels Of Job Satisfaction, Antonio F. Noble

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.