Psychology Commons^™

A Dual-Process Theory Perspective To Better Understand Judgments In Assessment Centers: The Role Of Initial Impressions For Dimension Ratings And Validity, Pia V. Ingold, Mirjam Donni, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Insight into assessors’ initial impressions has the potential to advance knowledge on how assessors form dimension-based judgments and on possible biases in these ratings. Therefore, this study draws on dual process theory to build and test a model that integrates assessors’ dimension ratings (i.e., systematic, slow, deliberate processing mode) with their initial impressions (i.e., intuitive, fast, automatic processing mode). Data collection started with an AC where assessors provided ratings of assessees, and an online survey of assessees’ supervisors who rated their job performance. In addition, two other rater pools provided initial impressions of these assessees by evaluating extracted 2-min video …

Hexaco Personality Predicts Counterproductive Work Behavior And Organizational Citizenship Behavior In Low-Stakes And Job Applicant Contexts, Jeromy Anglim, Filip Lievens, Lisa Everton, Sharon L. Grant, Andrew Marty

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study examined the degree to which the predictive validity of personality declines in job applicant settings. Participants completed the 200-item HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised, either as part of confidential research (347 non-applicants) or an actual job application (260 job applicants). Approximately 18-months later, participants completed a confidential survey measuring organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and counterproductive work behavior (CWB). There was evidence for a small drop in predictive validity among job applicants, however honesty-humility, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness predicted lower levels of CWB and higher levels of OCB in both job applicants and non -applicants. The study also informs the use …

Do Male And Female Soccer Players Differ In Helping? A Study On Prosocial Behavior Among Young Players, Paul A. M. Van Lange, Zoi Manesi, R. W. J. Meershoek, Minglian Yuan, Mengchen Dong, N. J. Van Doesum

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Acting prosocially can be quite challenging in one of the most salient intergroup contexts in contemporary society: Soccer. When winning is the ultimate goal, balancing self-interest with helping a fellow player in distress can be a tough decision; yet it happens. To date, we know little about what motivates soccer players to offer such help in the heat of the game. We propose that sex and what is at stake will matter in such prosocial dilemma situations. A pilot study (N = 107) indicated that female players may be more likely to help than male players, but this difference was …

Accidental Captains: How To Sink Strategy Even Before It Is Executed, Zafar Momin

Asian Management Insights

How to sink strategy even before it is executed.

An Integrative Approach To Investigating Bilingual Advantages In Cognitive Decline: The Australian Longitudinal Study Of Ageing, Wei Xing Toh, Andree Hartanto, Joanne Qin Ying Tan, Hwajin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

A commentary on “The relationship of bilingualism to cognitive decline: The Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing” by Mukadam N, Jichi F, Green D, Livingston G (2018). International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 33(2), e249‐e256, .

How Culture Affects Asia’S Pursuit Of Beauty, Shilpa Madan, Shankha Basu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

New research indicates that Asian countries have different attitudes toward beauty than Western markets.

The Making Of Successful Teams: A Study On Psychological Safety And Great Workplaces In Asia Pacific: 2018 Asia Insights, Richard Raymond Smith, Valerie Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Drawing on existing literature as well as our own research, we set out to answer this question: what is the best approach to foster quality teamwork that transforms companies into great workplaces that are future-ready? We considered this research question specifically in the context of Asia Pacific – a region where Gartner predicts that 80 percent of traditional companies may lose 10 percent of their market share by 2021 if disruptions are not well considered and addressed. For this purpose, we examined the Great Place to Work data gathered from over 800 organisations with more than 400,000 survey respondents across …

Low Power Individuals In Social Power Research: A Quantitative Review, Theoretical Framework, And Empirical Test, Michael Schaerer, Christilene Du Plessis, Andy J. Yap, Stefan Thau

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We examine the role of low-power individuals in social power research. A multi-method literature review reveals that low-power individuals may be insufficiently understood because many studies lack necessary control conditions that allow drawing inferences about low power, effects are predominantly attributed to high power, and qualitative reviews primarily focus on how high-power individuals feel, think, and behave. Challenging the assumption that low power tends to produce opposite consequences of high power, we highlight several similarities between the two states. Based on social exchange theories, we propose that unequal-power (vs. equal-power) relationships make instrumental goals, competitive attitudes, and exchange rules salient, …

Effects Of Cultural Tightness-Looseness And Social Network Density On Expression Of Positive And Negative Emotions: A Large-Scale Study Of Impression Management By Facebook Users, Pan Liu, David Chan, Lin Qiu, William Tov, Victor Joo Chuan Tong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Using data from 13,789 Facebook users across U.S. states, this study examined the main effects of societal-level cultural tightness–looseness and its interaction effects with individuals’ social network density on impression management (IM) in terms of online emotional expression. Results showed that individuals from culturally tight (vs. loose) states were more likely to express positive emotions and less likely to express negative emotions. Meanwhile, for positive emotional expression, there was a tightness–looseness by social network density interaction effect. In culturally tight states, individuals with dense (vs. sparse) networks were more likely to express positive emotions, while in culturally loose states this …

Too Much Of A Good Thing – When Virtue Becomes Vice, David Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

A Different Perspective: Feature Interview With Professor David Chan, David Chan, Shi Ping Low

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Psychology professor David Chan advocates the importance of walking in the shoes of others to build and strengthen relationships across cultures.

Bilingualism Confers Advantages In Task Switching: Evidence From The Dimensional Change Card Sort Task, Hwajin Yang, Andree Hartanto, Sujin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

We examined the influence of bilingualism on task switching by inspecting various markers for task-switching costs. English monolinguals and Korean–English bilinguals completed a modified Dimensional Change Card Sort task based on a nonverbal task-switching paradigm. We found advantages for Korean–English bilinguals in terms of smaller single-task (pure-block) switch costs and greater reactivation benefits than those of English monolinguals. However, bilingual advantages in mixing costs were relatively weak, and the two groups did not differ on local switch costs. Notably, when we approximated the cue-based priming effect in single-task (pure) blocks, we found no evidence that the locus of bilingual advantages …

Adjusting Bilingual Ratings By Retest Reliability Improves Estimation Of Translation Quality, Dustin Wood, Lin Qiu, Jiahui Lu, Han Lin, William Tov

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The quality of cross-language scale translations is often explored by having bilingual participants complete the scale in both languages and then correlating their scores. However, low cross-language correlations can be observed due to score unreliability rather than due to poor scale translation. McCrae, Yik, Trapnell, Bond, and Paulhus suggested that a better indicator of translation quality can be formed by dividing the raw cross-language correlation by the same-language retest correlations over a similar measurement interval. Here, we illustrate how this method can be extended to evaluate the translation quality of individual items. We translated the English version of the Inventory …

Evolutionary Mismatch: Getting To The Root Of Modern Problems, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Humans have experienced an enormous amount of technological progress in recent years. Owing to this progress, we are globally connected and can instantly communicate with family, friends, co-workers and multitudes of strangers. We are increasingly sheltered from harsh natural elements, dangerous animals and deadly wars, and have an incredible array of medicine to treat whatever ills us. Our entertainment options now include thousands of satellite television channels and millions of video games and videos. Our food options are just as numerous. Transportation is so fast and easy that we can visit places and do business with people all around the …

Build Your Own Nest: Singapore's First Study On Matched Savings Schemes For Lower Income, Older Women, David Chan, Benedict S. K. Koh

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Matched Savings Scheme is a research study, commissioned by the International Longevity Centre – Singapore (ILC – Singapore) of the Tsao Foundation and funded by the Tote Board, found that a monthly matched savings scheme is effective in sustaining the retirement savings behaviour among a group of 377 elderly women from low-income households over the study period of 18 months. The research, conducted by principal investigator psychology professor David Chan and co-investigator finance professor Benedict Koh, used an experimental design and longitudinal tracking to examine the effects that different factors of a matched savings scheme have on the participants’ decision …

Measurement Matters: Higher Waist-To-Hip Ratio But Not Body Mass Index Is Associated With Deficits In Executive Functions And Episodic Memory, Andree Hartanto, Jose C. Yong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Background: The current study aimed to reconcile the inconsistentfindings between obesity, executive functions, and episodic memory byaddressing major limitations of previous studies, including overreliance onbody mass index (BMI), small sample sizes, and failure to control forconfounds.Methods: Participants consisted of 3,712 midlife adults from theCognitive Project of the National Survey of Midlife Development. Executivefunctions and episodic memory were measured by a battery of cognitive functiontests.Results: We found that higher waist-to-hip ratio was associated withdeficits in both executive functions and episodic memory, above and beyond theinfluence of demographics, comorbid health issues, health behaviors,personality traits, and self-perceived obesity. However, higher BMI was notassociated …

Running On Empty: Measuring Psychological Dependence In Close Relationships Lacking Satisfaction, Kenneth Tan, Ximenab. Arriaga, Christopher R. Agnew

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Commitment has often been used to examine why individuals unjustifiably persist in relationships that are lacking in or devoid of satisfaction. However, the practicality of using commitment to examine these situations has been questioned because of its substantial association with satisfaction. Across three studies, we created a measure of nonvoluntary dependence and investigated the validity and reliability of the Nonvoluntary Dependence Scale from an investment model perspective. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed evidence of a single factor and reliability analyses revealed good internal reliability for the measure. The new measure also evidenced desirable convergent and discriminant validity with respect …

Prosocial Implicit Trait Policies Underlie Performance On Different Situational Judgment Tests With Interpersonal Content, Stephan J. Motowidlo, Filip Lievens, Kamalika Ghosh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study tests the hypothesis that situational judgment tests (SJTs) with interpersonal content reflect implicit beliefs about the utility of prosocial action for job effectiveness and that agreeable people are more likely to believe that prosocial action is effective. Two hundred ninety-four undergraduates completed four different SJTs with interpersonal content and a measure of Agreeableness. Results show that the effectiveness of response options in these SJTs is positively correlated with the level of prosociality they express and that because of their prosocial elements, scores on different SJTs are correlated with one another and with Agreeableness. These results shed light on …

Using Multiple Methods To More Fully Understand Causal Relations: Positive Affect Enhances Social Relationships, Shannon Moore, Ed Diener, Kenneth Tan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

We review research indicating that higher levels of positive affect help produce better social relationships for that person and those around him or her. By better relationships we mean those that are experienced as more pleasant and less aversive, are closer and more supportive, and are long-lasting. We review longitudinal, experimental, experience-sampling, cross-cultural, and other types of evidence that suggest that not only do good relationships produce positive affect, but that positive affect can lead to them as well. We also focus on the mediators that create the association going from positive affect to sociability and high-quality relationships. Finally, we …

Commitment Readiness And Relationship Formation, Benjamin W. Hadden, Christopher R. Agnew, Kenneth Tan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The concept of being ready for a relationship is pervasive in popular culture, but theoretical and empirical research on readiness is lacking. We offer a conceptualization of commitment readiness and provide some of the first empirical work examining readiness among single individuals—specifically how this construct shapes various aspects of relationship formation. Using data from five independent samples of individuals not involved in romantic relationships, we first establish that commitment readiness is associated with more interest in developing a close romantic relationship (Studies 1a, 1b, 2) and with active pursuit of relationship initiation (Study 2). We then test whether readiness among …

Acute Salivary Cortisol Response Among Mexican American Adolescents In Immigrant Families, Su Yeong Kim, Minyu Zhang, Katharine H. Zeiders, Lester Sim, Marci E. J. Gleason

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Objectives: Though previous research has indicated that language brokering can be stressful, the findings are mixed, pointing to potential moderators of the association. Guided by an ecological perspective, we examined the role of individual, family, and environmental factors in Mexican American adolescents’ acute cortisol responses to language brokering. Method: The study consisted of 46 Mexican American adolescents recruited around a metropolitan city in Central Texas. Participants translated a difficult medical document from English to Spanish for their parents, followed by an arithmetic task (modeled after the Trier Social Stress Test [TSST]). Participants’ perceptions (perceived efficacy and parental dependence), parental hostility, …

The Perception Of Spontaneous And Volitional Laughter Across 21 Societies, Gregory A. Bryan, Daniel M. Fessler, Riccardo Fusaroli, Edward Clint, Dorsa Amir, Brenda Chavez, Kaleda K. Denton, Cinthya Diaz, Lealaiailoto T. Duran, Jana Fancovicova, Michal Fux, Erni F. Ginting, Youssef Hasan, Anning Hu, Shanmukh V. Kamble, Tatsuya Kameda, Kiri Kuroda, Norman P. Li, Et Al

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Laughter is a nonverbal vocalization occurring in every known culture, ubiquitous across all forms of human socialinteraction. Here, we examined whether listeners around the world, irrespective of their own native language andculture, can distinguish between spontaneous laughter and volitional laughter—laugh types likely generated by differentvocal-production systems. Using a set of 36 recorded laughs produced by female English speakers in tests involving 884participants from 21 societies across six regions of the world, we asked listeners to determine whether each laugh wasreal or fake, and listeners differentiated between the two laugh types with an accuracy of 56% to 69%. Acoustic analysisrevealed that …

The Cultural Boundaries Of Perspective-Taking: When And Why Perspective-Taking Reduces Stereotyping, Cynthia S. Wang, Margaret Lee, Gillian Ku, Leung, Angela K. Y.

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Research conducted in Western cultures indicates that perspective-taking is an effective social strategy for reducing stereotyping. The current article explores whether and why the effects of perspective-taking on stereotyping differ across cultures. Studies 1 and 2 established that perspective-taking reduces stereotyping in Western but not in East Asian cultures. Using a socioecological framework, Studies 2 and 3 found that relational mobility, that is, the extent to which individuals’ social environments provide them opportunities to choose new relationships and terminate old ones, explained our effect: Perspective-taking was negatively associated with stereotyping in relationally mobile (Western) but not in relationally stable (East …

Production Of Eggs And Sperm, Jia-Min Amanda Tay, Jin Chuan Yong, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The production of gametes is a biological process occurring in organisms that sexually reproduce. Females make gametes called eggs, and males make gametes called sperm. Both egg and sperm cells begin as identical germ cells and are produced through a process of cell division called meiosis, which reduces the number of chromosomes in the germ cell from 46 (diploid) to 23 (haploid). In human males, meiosis begins after birth, and, upon reaching puberty, men produce sperm continuously for the rest of their lives. In human females, meiosis begins before birth and the raw materials for egg cell production are formed …

Obligatory Parental Investment, Courtney K. Kheng, Jose C. Yong, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Obligatory parental investment refers to the amount of time, energy, and resource expenditures that organisms are minimally required to make in order to ensure offspring survival. Throughout evolutionary history, offspring survival has posed a main adaptive challenge. In some species, this selection pressure has resulted in sex-differentiated forms of parental investment. This chapter describes obligatory parental investment, explores asymmetries in obligatory parental investment between males and females, describes examples of such differences across a range of species, and briefly highlights the implications of such differences in terms of human sexual strategies and conflicts.

Quantity Versus Quality Of Offspring, Nadhilla Velda Melia, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Organisms continually face trade-offs for how to allocate limited energy and resources. One of the key trade-offs involves the quantity versus the quality of offspring. On the one hand, if organisms invest heavily in their offspring to better their developmental and survival outcomes, they tend to only have enough resources to produce a small number of “high-quality” offspring. On the other hand, if organisms make little parental investment per child, they can produce a large number of “low-quality” offspring – although each child has a lower chance of survival, there is a higher probability that at least some offspring will …

Inherent Multiculturalism: An Ancient Chinese Practice Becomes A Part Of The Indonesian Everyday, Margaret Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Several methods are used to trace cultural transfer between countries. The time-honoured methods are chronicles of early travellers and archaeology. We can also look to epigraphs and loan words. Present-day ethnic communities also suggest earlier settlements. Edward B. Tylor proposed the world distribution of games as anthropological evidence. Tylor's method combined with an archaeology into the Everyday provides evidence of earlier cultural transfer and present-day applications of the game enables analysis to draw socio-cultural knowledge of inter-ethnic, inter-cultural reception to foreign influences in host societies.

Disconnected: Are Flexible Work Arrangements Bad For Your Health?, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

You need to feel supported but most of all you need to be calling the shots

Eleanor Malbon is a researcher and a poet – and she doesn't see the need to choose between her two disparate careers.

Malbon, who has an arts/science degree in interdisciplinary research and English literature, works four days a week at UNSW Canberra, and spends the rest of her working hours writing poetry.

Response Distortion On Personality Tests In Applicants: Comparing High-Stakes To Low-Stakes Medical Settings, Jeromy Anglim, Stefan Bozic, Jonathon Little, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The current study examined the degree to which applicants applying for medical internships distort their responses to personality tests and assessed whether this response distortion led to reduced predictive validity. The applicant sample (n = 530) completed the NEO Personality Inventory whilst applying for one of 60 positions as first-year post-graduate medical interns. Predictive validity was assessed using university grades, averaged over the entire medical degree. Applicant responses for the Big Five (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion, openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness) and 30 facets of personality were compared to a range of normative samples where personality was measured in standard research settings …

Context Counts: The Different Implications Of Weekday And Weekend Video Gaming For Academic Performance In Mathematics, Reading, And Science, Andree Hartanto, Wei Xing Toh, Hwajin Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Video gaming has been a source of serious concern for parents and educators, based on the belief that video games disrupt adolescents' academic activities. However, previous studies have been mixed regarding video games’ effects on academic outcomes. We revisited this issue by analyzing data on approximately 30,000 adolescents from three large-scale public datasets. We consistently found that the more adolescents played video games on weekdays, the poorer they performed on standardized assessments of mathematics, reading, and science. In contrast, weekend video gaming was positively associated with academic performance. Our findings suggest that weekday and weekend video gaming may be differentially …