Industrial and Organizational Psychology Commons^™

The Application Of Leadership Skills By Managers, Supervisors, And Group Leaders In A Small Manufacturing Company: Self-Management As A Transfer Of Training Method, Jason Chadwell

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine if training in self-management principles would enhance the transfer of training in leadership skills to the work setting. Managers, supervisors, and group leaders of a small manufacturing company served as the participants for the study. Two training groups were formed, one which received training in leadership skills only and another which received training in leadership skills and self-management. Prior to and after training all participants completed a learning measure and were rated by subordinates, peers, and/or supervisors on the demonstration of leadership skills on the job. Results showed that training significantly increased …

Using Biodata To Predict Alternative Measures Of Training Period Turnover, Ronald Pankratz

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Logistic Regression was utilized to add to what is known about biodata and turnover. Biodata items from 958 former and current employees in a manufacturing environment were used to develop models to predict a) which employees will turnover prior to completion of a ninety-day training period, b) who will leave voluntarily versus involuntarily, and of those who leave voluntarily c) which leavers are functional versus dysfunctional. A significant relationship was found between biodata items and completion of the ninety-day training period. The resulting model indicated that those who completed training were employed at time of hire, had higher aptitude scores, …

Work Redesign And Its Influence On Employee Motivation And Job Satisfaction, John Koscielniak

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Reengineering and work redesign have become the buzzwords of the healthcare industry giving rise to the unprecedented growth of reengineering / work redesign consultants who offer cookbook methods to make the organization efficient and reduce costs. The unfortunate consequence of this rush to redesign is that the employer accepts recommendations to change the organization without knowing the state of the workforce. The purpose of this research is to test the effects of work redesign as implemented at two for-profit hospitals using a measurement tool developed specifically for work redesign. The intent is to compare the hospitals separately as each work …

Examination Of Perceptions Of Procedural Justice When Establishing A Maternity Leave Policy In A University Setting, Sarah Leider

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Procedural justice in organizations has received increasing attention from researchers in recent years. Part of the reason for the increase in attention is that today's workforce must satisfy inner needs through aspects of the job that are not related directly to pay and promotion due to the current trend in downsizing organizations. As more women enter the workforce, the issue of maternity leave is also becoming more prevalent. More and more women are working in professional fields and don't want to end their careers in order to have and raise children. In this current study the researcher has combined the …

Personnel Managers' Attitudes Towards Affirmative Action & Its Potential Correlates, Donna Dunville

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Despite the controversy surrounding Affirmative Action (AA), relatively little research has appeared about attitudes towards these programs. In this research, an exploratory approach is implemented to assess the support of personnel managers for the theory of AA as well as the mechanisms designed to carry it out. Also, the relationship to Supreme Court decisions, relevant legislation, and numerous demographic, attitudinal, and organizational variables are examined for their impact on Affirmative Action attitudes. A questionnaire was utilized to assess support for AA and its correlates. The majority of personnel managers indicate support for both AA in theory and the mechanisms required …

The Comparability Of A Field & A Device-Mediated Performance Test For M1 Armor Crewmen, Sylvia Smith

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A study was conducted to evaluate the construct validity of four measures of Armor combat performance derived through the Simulation Networking (SIMNET) system. Problems with field testing, such as high cost, low reliability, and lack of realism, has lead the Army to look for alternative methods for soldier evaluation. SIMNET's utility for supplemental training and hardware development has been documented and the device holds promise as a low-cost alternative for soldier evaluation. Performance by 120 M1 tank crews on a SIMNET test was compared to their performance on a field test measuring four critical domains of Armor combat performance: command …

Training Program Evaluation For A Prototype Command, Control & Communication System: Soldier Requirements, Performance & Feedback, Natalie Dancho

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An Army training program was evaluated in order to present recommendations for program refinement. The training program, developed as part of two larger Army combat development (CD) studies (DuBois & Smith, 1989a, 1989b), represents an attempt to define program design requirements for training tank commanders to use the Intervehicular Information System (IVIS). IVIS is a computer-based command, control, and communications system proposed for future M1A1 tank upgrades. Twenty-four Army tank commanders (TCs) participated in the research effort. TCs were of various rank and age. Training and testing were conducted over a 4 day period. Training lasted 1-1/2 days followed by …

A Study Of Training, Feedback, & Goal Setting For Improving Quality In An Organizational Setting, C. Richard Moore Iii

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The current study investigated the effects of training, knowledge of results (KR), and goal setting on improving product quality in a field setting. Both practical and theoretical issues were addressed through the experimental design. A practical concern was the improvement of product quality in an organization. The theoretical issue was the increased understanding and utility of goal setting and knowledge of results for motivating workers' quality behavior.

Two existing departments (n=60 employees) of an aluminum window manufacturing plant were studied with the use of a multiple-baseline, within-subjects design across four experimental phases: a) baseline, b) training only, c) visual presentation …

Development Of A Weighted Application Blank For The Carryout Clerk Classification In A Large Retail Organization, Linda Gabbard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a Weighted Application Blank to predict turnover for use as a selection tool for a large retail organization. Utilizing the England (1971) procedure, it was hypothesized that significant derivation and cross-validities would be obtained. The hypothesis was partially supported: the derivation validity coefficient was significant (r = .28, p < .01) and the resulting cross-validity coefficient was net significant (r = 19, p < .05). The results and recommendations for implementation of the WAB are discussed.

The Effect Of Social Context & Group Decision Making Formats On An Evaluative Task, Joyce Bowers

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A review of the literature on decision making indicated a lack of research attention given to the effects of the dynamics of the social context surrounding participation on decision outcomes. The present study examined the relationship between social context and group decision making formats, and its implications for the effective implementation of group participation in decision making The effectiveness of three decision -making formats, the nominal technique, the interacting technique, and the consensus technique, were compared under conditions of cooperation and competition on the three decision effectiveness dimensions of quality, acceptance, and synergy.

Two-hundred and forty-eight undergraduate students, working in …

The Development Of A Knowledge Test For Armor Trainees, Jerry Seibert

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A study was conducted to develop a written tank knowledge test for United States Army armor trainees. Such a test may be employed as a tool for training program evaluation and as a criterion measure for assessing trainees. The Tank Knowledge Test (TKT) was developed from items written by subject matter experts familiar with the armor training program. After pilot testing, a revised version of the TKT had an internal consistency reliability of .79. Item difficulty levels ranged from .16 to .92 with a mean of .57. A factor analysis performed to examine the possibility of deriving subscales from four …

Weighted Application Blanks: An Empirical Approach For The Selection Of Delivery Personnel Psychology, Barton Lee Dahmer

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a biographically weighted application blank for use in selecting delivery personnel. The England (1971) procedure for weighting biographical information was utilized. The criterion was a ratio of planned work time to actual work time. It was hypothesized that (a) significant derivation and cross-validities would be obtained, and (b) significant practical benefits in terms of correct placement of workers in the high and low criterion groups would result. The first hypothesis was partially supported in that a significant derivation validity was obtained (r = -.56, P < .05). However, the cross-validity (r = -.12) was not significant. Thus, the second hypothesis was not supported. A discussion of the results and recommendations for the implementation of the weighted application blank are provided.

An Investigation Into The Problem Of Validity Generalization & Situational Specificity For Nuclear Power Plant Operations, Jeffrey Hornsby

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The issues of situational specificity and validity generalization have shed new light on employment test validation in personnel psychology. Over the past six years Schmidt, Hunter and colleagues have accumulated an abundance of evidence supporting the use of validity generalization. The present study attempts to further investigate the issues of situational specificity and validity generalization for five nuclear power utilities using the CNS test battery. Using the Bayesian statistical procedure developed by Schmidt and Hunter (1977) the results indicated that neither the rejection of situational specificity or the inference of validity generalization was possible. However, further analyses indicated that the …

A Validity Study Of An Operational Pre-Hire Assessment Process For Professional, Managerial, Technical Personnel, John Galbraith

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research concerning the validity of various procedures for assessing managerial potential is reviewed. It is found that several assessment techniques are valid for identifying and/or predicting potential and that a combination of techniques usually accounts for a significantly greater amount of criterion variance than does a single assessment procedure used alone. The lack of research concerning the use of multiplecomponent assessment techniques for the selection of individual job applicants for lower-level managerial positions is pointed out. The present study concerns itself with an operational individual assessment program designed to identify and select from among experienced job applicants those individuals exhibiting …

A Study Of The Validity Of Undergraduate Grade Point Average And Graduate Record Examination Scores As Predictors Of Success In The Selection Of Masters Level Graduate Students In Psychology, Margaret Tandy O'Connor

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of the undergraduate grade point average (UGPA), the grade point average during the last two years of undergraduate work (LTYR), the Graduate Record Examination Verbal plus Graduate Record Examination Quantitative scores (GREM), the Graduate Record Examination Analytical Test score (GREAN) and the Graduate Record Examination Advanced Psychology Test score (GREAD) as predictors of graduate grade point averages (GGPA) in the Master of Arts degree program in Psychology at Western Kentucky University. The validity of the Graduate Record Examination Quantitative score (GREQ) as a predictor of grades received in the two …

The Operational Effectiveness Of The Behavioral Expectations Scale & The Mixed Standard Scale: A Comparative Evaluation, Deborah Boniske

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Performance evaluations were obtained on firefighters in a large Midwestern City. The evaluations were conducted through utilization of two different scale types (The Behavioral Expectation Scale and The Mixed Standard Scale). These evaluations were obtained in order to test the hypotheses that the MSS was psychometrically superior to the BES in the reduction of halo and leniency error and that the MSS was also the better scale type in terms of producing higher interrater reliability. Leniency error (in both the absolute and comparative sense) was examined by conducting a series of T-tests. Halo error was investigated by a comparison of …

Stereotype Bias In Selection: A Process Approach, Donald V. Currie

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This investigation was to determine if an applicant’s sex and the job’s sex orientation stereotypes affected the evaluation of applicant information and subsequent selection decision outcomes. Interviewers (N=48) were asked to rate the employment suitability of 49 hypothetical applicants. The results indicated that an interaction of the applicant’s sex and job’s sex orientation had marginal affect on the importance weightings in two of the four applicant attribute factors, motivation/ability and personality/appearance. Applicants with equivalent qualifications did not receive comparable employment suitability ratings, Unfair job discrimination was demonstrated by these data. It was concluded that the applicant’s sex and the job’s …

The Effects Of Female Supervision On A Heterosexual Blue Collar Work Group, Ila Young

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This field study examined the effects of the leadership dimensions of "consideration" and "initiating structure" on turnover behavior. The subjects were male and female blue collar workers under the direction of female supervisors. The Supervisory Behavior Description Questionnaire measures of "consideration" and "initiating structure" were not found to be related to turnover for this group of employees. Implications for future research concerning turnover with blue collar workers is discussed.

An Examination Of Commitment To Scholarly Openness & Religious Belief Among Academicians, Jim Alsdurf

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The relations between faculty religiosity, changes in reliaious beliefs, and commitment to scholarly openness were examined through a survey of 257 faculty at three universities. A new measure of scholarly openness was developed for this study because of ambiguities in previous indirect and attitudinal measures. Patterns of faculty religiosity as a function of education, graduate school prestige, academic discipline, and educational period of religious change are generally compatible with previous studies, but patterns for scholarly openness are not. Faculty religiosity and scholarly openness were negatively correlated for those Faculty who had never experienced sinnificant reliaious change and for those who …

A Study Of The Effects Of The Professional Semester On Certain Aspects Of Personality & Interests Of Elementary Education Students Minoring In Special Education, Dorine Geeslin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

When 32 elementary education students, 16 of whom were enrolled in an off-campus block of laboratory experiences with handicapped, took the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Study and the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey, Form DD, there was no evidence that the professional semester affected self-confidence or social adjustment as measured by the number of extrapunitive and need-persistence reactions, respectively, on the P-F Study. The t test was used to compare the mean number of those responses made by members of the two groups. There was considerable evidence, however, that the number of subjects who gave elementary education the same or an even higher …

Knowledge & Attitudes Of Mental Health Professionals On Issues & Laws Regarding Involuntary Hospitalization In Kentucky, Gary Giamartino

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Involuntary psychiatric hospitalization in the Commonwealth of Kentucky has become a salient issue based, in part, on two recent court rulings and a call for legislative reform of the laws governing this procedure. The role cc the mental health professional, who may be directly or indirectly involved in the hospitalization process, requires knowledge and sensitivity of these laws and related legal issues.

One hundred and five Kentucky mental health professionals, including physicians, psychologists, and social workers, responded to a questionnaire designed to assess their knowledge and attitudes on seven selected laws and legal issues regarding involuntary hospitalization in Kentucky.

The …

Organizational & Demographic Correlates Of Faculty Job Satisfaction & Morale, Daniel Sauer

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Two measures or faculty lob satisfaction and one measure of denartmental morale were correlated with faculty perceptions of leadership style, faculty participation in departmental decision makinr, and faculty personal and demographic variables. Three dimensions of faculty satisfaction emerged: Supervision and Morale, Work and Colleagues, and Hewards and Growth. The two dimensions of department nead leadership style whicn emerged were Consiaeration and Rigid. Faculty satisfaction with Supervision and Morale was positively correlated with the Consideration leadership style and negatively correlated with the Rigid leadership style. Increased faculty participation was desired in promotion, tenure and salary decisions. Generally, participation in departmental decision …