Psychology Commons^™

Patient Handling Safety For Nursing Staff, Don Nielsen

Dissertations

The effectiveness of video scoring and feedback about the scoring of the components of safe patient transfers was observed among eight nursing staff members in a skilled nursing department within an acute care hospital.

An ABCA (and sometimes ABCDA), multiple baseline across individuals design was utilized in the study. The dependent variable under investigation was the percentage of safe lifting components. Following baseline measures, nursing staff participated in an information phase during which they reviewed and discussed components of safe patient transfers. A video scoring phase was introduced, during which, participants viewed and scored a model video of a patienttransfer. …

A Within-Person Perspective On Feedback Seeking About Task Performance, Frederik Anseel, Filip Rene O Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In organisations, feedback about multiple performance dimensions is often available. Consequently, employees have to decide on which performance dimensions they will be seeking feedback. In a lab experiment 126 students indicated on which performance dimensions they wanted to receive feedback after completing a computerized in-basket task. Results showed that participants especially sought feedback about their best and most important performance dimensions. Individuals with a high learning goal orientation sought more feedback about their least important performance dimensions as compared to individuals with a low learning goal orientation. In general, results indicated that previous findings obtained in between-person studies of feedback …

Reverse Decision Making And Goal Attainment A Proof Of Concept As A New Approach To The Decision Making Process Under Uncertainty, Shitalkumar S. Sabne

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Decision making occurs when one must choose among alternatives. However, in uncertain environments where problems are complex and decision makers lack complete knowledge of the situation as well as decision alternatives, it's not possible for them to select an optimal decision outcome by 'Traditional Decision Approaches'. At present Reverse Decision Making is the central, although new and unproved, approach of Old Dominion University's Engineering Management and Systems Engineering research on decision making process for uncertain and complex situations. Even though research in decision making spans over one hundred years, there are still important problems which remain to be addressed.

There …

Relationships, Layoffs, And Organizational Resilience: Airline Industry Responses To September 11, Jody H. Gittell, Kim Cameron, Sandy Lim, Victor Rivas

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, affected the U.S. airline industry more than almost any other industry. Certain airlines emerged successful and demonstrated remarkable resilience while others languished. This investigation identifies reasons why some airline companies recovered successfully after the attacks while others struggled. Evidence is provided that layoffs after the crisis, although intended to foster recovery, instead inhibited recovery throughout the 4 years after the crisis. But, layoffs after the crisis were strongly correlated with lack of financial reserves and lack of a viable business model prior to the crisis. Digging deeper, the authors find that having a …

The Effects Of Prolonged Job Insecurity On The Psychological Well-Being Of Workers, Cynthia Rocha, Jennifer Hause Crowell, Andrea K. Mccarter

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Job insecurity has been increasing since the 1980s. While researchers have found job insecurity to be negatively associated with multiple indicators of well-being for workers and their families in cross sectional studies, less is known about the long term effects of prolonged job insecurity. Specifically, there is a need to collect measures of both insecurity and its consequences at multiple time periods. The current study followed workers for 3 1/2 years to assess the effects of chronic job insecurity on psychological distress. Results indicate that while workers reported increased feelings of security over time, there were longer term negative effects …

Introduction To The Special Issue: What We Can Learn From Large Scale Human Resources Initiatives In The Federal Government And Department Of Defense, Roni Reiter-Palmon, Michael D. Mumford, Michael A. Campion

Psychology Faculty Publications

Arguably, the government has some of the most complex and sophisticated Human Resource (HR) initiatives of any organization in the country. This is due to at least three reasons. First, the sheer size of the government requires sophisticated HR systems to manage the huge number of HR decisions required. Second, the HR systems in the government must respond to much greater external (public) scrutiny than any other organization because it is funded by government money and must be responsive to taxpayers interests and concerns. As such, fairness and defensibility are far more important factors than in other organizations. Third, the …

Occupationally-Specific Skills: Using Skills To Define And Understand Jobs And Their Requirements, Roni Reiter-Palmon, Marcy Young, Skillsnet, Joseph James

Psychology Faculty Publications

Recent work in Human Resources (HR) has highlighted the importance of understanding and identifying occupationally-specific skills. The purpose of this article is to describe the need to identify occupationally-specific skills and outline a methodology used to create occupationally-specific skills. Evidence of the validity of the methodology used is presented. The article concludes by identifying possible uses for occupationally-specific skills and providing information about actual implementation and use of systems based on occupationally-specific skills.

Development Of An O*Net Web-Based Job Analysis And Its Implementation In The U. S. Navy: Lessons Learned, Roni Reiter-Palmon, Skillsnet, Infousa, Oriental Trading Co.

Psychology Faculty Publications

Job analysis is described as the building block of most Human Resource (HR) functions. In recent years, many HR functions have been automated or adapted to computer applications; however, the use of computers for job analysis is lagging. The purpose of this paper is to describe a web-based job analysis process that is based on O*NET. The web-based job analysis process is more flexible and less resource intensive than traditional job analysis methods. The paper also will describe the application of the web-based job analysis process in the U.S. Navy and discuss strengths and limitations of this system.

Video-Based Versus Written Situational Judgment Tests: A Comparison In Terms Of Predictive Validity, Filip Lievens, Paul R. Sackett

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In this study, the authors examined whether video-based situational judgment tests (SJTs) have higher predictive validity than written SJTs (keeping verbal content constant). The samples consisted of 1, 159 students who completed a video-based version of an SIT and 1,750 students who completed the same SIT in a written format. The study was conducted in a high stakes testing context. The video-based version of an interpersonally oriented SJT had a lower correlation with cognitive ability than did the written version. It also had higher predictive and incremental validity for predicting interpersonally oriented criteria than did the written version. In this …

Detecting Intentional, Realistic Response Distortion On The Mmpi-2 Using Multiple Validity Scales, Andrew Minton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) is a 567-item questionnaire used by psychologists to help diagnose mental disorders. The effectiveness of the MMPI-2 validity scales (F, Fp, F-K, and Ds-r2) were evaluated by asking college students to respond honestly or fake bad on the MMPI-2. Each scale was scored in the usual manner, but as a group they were evaluated in a noncompensatory fashion. That is, failing even one scale was interpreted as a faked response. MMPI-2 protocols of all participants were analyzed to determine if the validity scales were able to accurately identify which subjects faked and which answered …

Human Aggression And Sports Media Violence, Justin Wright

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The present study was designed to gain more perspective on human aggression and how sports media violence affects aggression levels. Anderson (1997) defined aggression as behavior that is intended to harm others or one's self. Anderson (2001) defined media violence as a portrayal of intentional harmful behavior directed at another person or the self. To define sports aggression, the definition of aggression must be manipulated slightly. The definition should be changed to a form of behavior intended to injure, whether or not an actual injury occurs, directed at an opposing team or opposing player to gain an advantage during the …

Supporting Young People To Seek Professional Help For Mental Health Problems: Cover Feature., Coralie J. Wilson

Coralie J Wilson

No abstract provided.

The Prediction Of Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy From Black And White Racial Identity Attitudes, Jennifer K. Montgomery

Doctoral Dissertations

Racial identity has been related to a variety of interpersonal, psychological, behavioral, environmental, and cognitive factors. Although Black racial identity is often researched in relation to career development, there are few studies examining the relationship between career development and White racial identity. Additionally, review of the career development studies that focused on Black racial identity reveals that they have failed to consider the role of social cognitive factors, instead using traditional career models that were created from the standpoint of middleclass non-minorities. The focus of this study was to examine the distinct relationship between Black and White racial identity and …

Gender Differences In Perceived Work Demands, Family Demands, And Life Stress Among Married Chinese Employees, Jaepil Choi, Chao C. Chen

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Although gender-based division of labour and the identity theory of stress suggest that the relationship between work and family demands and life stress may vary as a function of gender, it is largely unknown whether these arguments are also valid in China. To address this gap in the existing literature, the current study investigates the gender differences in perceived work and family demands, and the effects of these perceived demands on the life stress of Chinese male and female employees. The study of 153 married Chinese employees found that Chinese women perceived a higher level of family demands than did …

Teacher Factors That Influence Student Achievement: A Study Of Third And Fifth Grade Teachers, Jewelle L. Harmon

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Student achievement is of the highest concern for the government, educational administrators and parents. Researchers have looked at several possible student factors that affect student achievement. However, very little research has been done on teacher factors and their relationship with student achievement. The current study looked at the relationships among teacher absence, teacher job satisfaction, work-family conflict, family/work conflict, teachers' attitudes towards achievement measures, and their correlation with Virginia's standardized measure of student achievement; the Standards of Learning (SOLs). District differences in student achievement were also examined. Three school districts in southeastern Virginia accepted the invitation to participate. …

Teamwork In Chinese Organizations: A New Concept And Framework, Ying Liu

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Teamwork has always been a challenge in China, and the importance of teamwork has not been well recognized. This study was designed to explore the underlying definition of teamwork that Chinese people use to describe their teams, to identify variables related to teamwork, to develop a new framework and measure of teamwork in Chinese organizations, and to test the psychometric properties of the measure as well as the structural relationships of the new framework of teamwork in Chinese teams. This study also examines the influence of guanxi---an important Chinese cultural value that emphasizes exchange and reciprocity in relationships---on teamwork in …

Identifying The Underpinnings Of Compulsive Behavior: A New Measure Of Addiction Proneness, Jennifer Lynn Bowler

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation describes the development and initial validation of an indirect measure of addiction proneness. This new measurement system is based on the concept of differential framing, that is, the idea that individuals with different personalities tend to frame the same situations and stimuli in qualitatively different ways. This new measure (called the Conditional Reasoning Test of Addiction Proneness, or CRT-AP) consisted of 23 items that were designed to assess framing proclivities associated with addiction proneness. These items used Conditional Reasoning methodology to assess the extent to which implicit biases are used to justify the perpetuation of chemical dependency. Data …

Assessing Reliability Of Expert Ratings Among Judges Responding To A Survey Instrument Developed To Study The Long Term Efficacy Of The Abet Engineering Criteria, Ec2000, Tracy L. Litzinger

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

In today’s assessment processes, especially those evaluations that rely on humans to make subjective judgements, it is necessary to analyze the quality of their ratings. The psychometric issues associated with assessment provide the lens through which researchers interpret results and important decisions are made. Therefore, inter-rater agreement (IRA) and inter-rater reliability (IRR) are pre-requisites for rater-dependent data analysis. A survey instrument cannot provide “good” information if it is not reliable; in other words, reliability is central to the validation of an instrument. When judges cannot be shown to reliably rate a performance, item, or target, the question becomes why the …

Differential Attributions Of The Causes Of Subordinate Success And Failure By Aggressive And Non-Aggressive Individuals, Mark Connor Bowler

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examined the differential causal attributions of non-aggressive and aggressive individuals responding to incidents of subordinate success and failure. Participants (N = 407) were presented with 16 vignettes (eight describing subordinate success and eight describing subordinate failure) that utilized unique combinations of consensus, distinctiveness, and consistency information. Participants made attributions regarding the cause of the subordinate’s behavior (i.e., person, task, circumstances, or any combination of the three) and indicated their preferred behavioral response (i.e., praise/reward, reprimand/punish, coach/train, redesign the task, or do nothing). When responding to incidents of subordinate success, the causal attributions of aggressive individuals were similar to …

A Realistic Job Preview For Deputy Jailer Applicants, Joseph Dunn

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A common method for reducing turnover in organizations is the implementation of a realistic job preview (RJP). Unlike typical job descriptions that might be seen in newspapers, on the Internet, or on television, the differentiating characteristic of an RJP is that both positive and negative aspects of the job are presented to the prospective employee such that the applicant has a very realistic idea of the nature of the job. An RJP in both an audio-visual format and a written brochure was developed for deputy jailer applicants at the Warren County Regional Jail in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Consistent with hypotheses, …

Gender, Occupational Position, And Incivility: The Role Of Status On Rude Behaviors At Work, Sherri Settle

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study examined the role of status (i.e., occupational position and gender) in the frequency and experience of workplace incivility. Participants were 89 university students over the age of 20 who currently were employed and completed measures assessing their experiences of incivility at work, the instigator of the incivility, and jobrelated outcomes (i.e., turnover intent, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment). Consistent with hypotheses, supervisors were more likely to be instigators of incivility than coworkers. Participants also reported lower job satisfaction when the instigator was a supervisor, and lower organizational commitment and higher turnover intent when the instigator was male. These …

A Construct-Driven Investigation Of Gender Differences In A Leadership-Role Assessment Center, Neil Anderson, Filip Lievens, Karen Van Dam, Marise Born

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study examined gender differences in a large-scale assessment center for officer entry in the British Army. Subgroup differences were investigated for a sample of 1,857 candidates: 1,594 men and 263 women. A construct-driven approach was chosen (a) by examining gender differences at the construct level, (b) by formulating a priori hypotheses about which constructs would be susceptible to gender effects, and (c) by using both effect size statistics and latent mean analyses to investigate gender differences in assessment center ratings. Results showed that female candidates were rated notably higher on constructs reflecting an interpersonally oriented leadership style (i.e., oral …

Physical Abilities Testing: A Review Of Court Cases, 1992-2006, Paula Starling

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Selection procedures are designed with the goal to select the most qualified applicant for the job. A variety of selection tests are used in organizations today, including physical ability tests, which are often used in police agencies and fire departments. A total of 22 physical ability testing cases at the Appellate and Supreme Court level were identified to be included as part of a review to examine the outcome of litigation. Of the 22 cases, only 6 cases involved a female plaintiff, while 1 involved a Hispanic plaintiff. There were five race-based claims and nine gender-based claims (three of the …

Reducing Wait Times In A Hospital Pharmacy To Promote Customer Service, Julie M. Slowiak

Masters Theses

The quality of service received by a customer affects their satisfaction with the organization. To increase the probability that customers will return to an organization, it is critical that customers are satisfied with the organization's services. The amount of time customers spend waiting in line can affect their satisfaction with an organization's services (Gail & Lucey, 1997). This study examined the effects of a single intervention versus a combined intervention package to reduce wait times in a hospital's outpatient pharmacy. Customer satisfaction ratings were collected to determine the effect of a reduction in wait time on customer service satisfaction with …

Investigating The Effects Of Real-Time Visual Feedback On Computer Workstation Posture, Sigurdur Oli Sigurdsson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a package intervention that included discrimination training, real-time visual feedback, and self-monitoring on postural behavior at a computer workstation in a simulated office environment. A total of 21 participants were screened for participation, and eight of those participated throughout the study. A non-concurrent multiple baseline design across participants was used to assess the effects of the interventions across three postural variables. Following an information-only phase, participants were exposed to the intervention for the lowest stable postural variable. For most targeted postural variables, the intervention implemented in this study led …

The Effects Of Self-Monitoring On Safe Postural Performance, Nicole Gravina

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of self-monitoring on safe positioning of individuals performing a typing task and an assembly task using a multiple baseline design across behaviors and tasks. The study took place in an analogue office setting with seven college student participants. The dependent variable was the percentage of observations scored as safe and each session was recorded via a hidden camera.. During baseline, participants received information regarding safe positions and then completed a typing task and an assembly task during nine-minute sessions. In the self-monitoring phase, participants recorded whether a targeted posture …

Workplace Incivility And The Low-Status Target, Sonia Winhorst

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The goal of the present research was to discover if employees in low-status social groups (i.e., women, people of color, sexual minorities, and non-Christians) experience more incivility in the workplace compared to their high-status counterparts. Data come from four different samples of working adults: employees from a property management company (N = 90), employees of a northwestern university (N = 1,843), a national sample of law school faculty (N = 1,256), and employed students from a southern university (N = 243). Participants in all studies completed measures of demographics and personal experiences of incivility at work. A series of t-tests …

Education And Training In I-O Psychology: Leaving The Psychology Tower: Nontraditional Programs In I/O Psychology, Brigitte Steinheider, David P. Costanza, Jennifer L. Kisamore, Roni Reiter-Palmon

Psychology Faculty Publications

The need for programs that accommodate diverse types of students and adopt an interdisciplinary approach to the study of organizations has led universities with traditional I-O programs to also offer nontraditional programs. Nontraditional programs tend to attract highly heterogeneous sets of students in terms of age and academic and professional backgrounds or may be tailored for special types of students. Due to the mixed student population and high percentage of working adults, nontraditional programs tend to be more application and applied-research oriented than their traditional program counterparts.

Faculty, students, and administrators of nontraditional programs face a variety of challenges. In …

The Effect Of Major Organizational Policy On Employee Attitudes Toward Graduate Degrees, Frank R. Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

Leaders initiate policies not only to improve the success of their organizations, but to influence employee performance, whereby employee attitudes toward a policy objective can influence their resulting behaviors. One group of employees, Air Force officers, experienced a policy change in 2005 that discontinued the use of academic degrees as criteria for officer promotions. With this change, there is a concern that the number of Air Force officers with graduate degrees might decrease. In particular, senior leaders in the Civil Engineer (CE) officer career field are concerned that this policy change might reduce the number of officers available to fill …

An Evaluation Of How Organizational Culture Can Perpetuate A Formal Mentoring Relationship, Daniel J. Rieker

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate how an organization's culture can have an effect on formal mentoring. Specifically, this thesis sought to determine if perceptions among gender, ethnicity, and organizational position differ for mentoring and organizational culture. Additionally, this thesis sought to determine if any correlations may exist between organizational culture and formal mentoring overall.