Attitudes and expectations of 1995 gastroenterology graduates about gastroenterology

OBJECTIVE: To learn more about current attitudes and expectations of recent (June 1995) graduates of gastroenterology fellowship programs, why they chose either a private practice or academic career, and what impact managed care or health care reform had in their decision. METHODS: Between April and June 1995, and 8-page, 35-question survey questionnaire was mailed to graduating fellows and returned for evaluation. RESULTS: Graduates believed managed care had an impact on job availability, but it was not a factor in their job choice. Forty percent of the respondents reported that finding a job was either difficult or very difficult. The majority of respondents (67%) are pursuing a career in private practice. Most private practice physicians (PP) trained in 2-yr programs whereas academic physicians (AC) trained for the most part in 3-yr programs. The principal criteria on which decisions regarding job selection were based were similar between the two groups: co-workers, geographic location, access to patient care, and ability to perform endoscopy. Respondents in PP and AC expected to work 50-70 h/wk, care for patients with similar diseases, and have ample time for family. They would choose GI again as a career and believed that there is a future in GI. Salary expectations varied markedly between the two groups, and AC physicians were more concerned about their future financial needs. Twenty percent of PP physicians and 71% of AC physicians plan to participate in clinical research. CONCLUSIONS: Recent graduates of gastroenterology fellowship programs continue to have high expectations of their future careers. Although some had difficulty finding a job and stated that, although managed care had an impact on the job market, it had not yet become a major factor in their job selection.     

A decision process model for predicting job preferences.

Surveyed the decision processes of a set of job applicants to predict job choice behavior. 28 graduate business students constructed decision models in the form of a discrimination net by weighting the relative importance of a large number of job attributes. The models reflected decisions that were made when determining whether or not a job offer was acceptable. This discrimination net survey classified jobs into either an acceptable category or a rejected category for each applicant. A comparison of discrimination net predictions of acceptable category occupations with real job acceptances revealed 23 correct predictions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A policy-capturing investigation of the role of expectancies in decisions to pursue job alternatives.

Two methodological approaches, policy capturing and narrative self-reports, were used to examine how individuals combine information about job characteristics and probabilities of receiving job offers (expectancies) in decisions to pursue job vacancies. 10 college students evaluated 24 hypothetical job alternatives at 3 expectancy levels in terms of overall attractiveness and whether they would apply for a job interview. A variety of within-S analyses were used to infer how probabilities of receiving a job offer affect peoples' propensities to apply for jobs. Results indicate that there was wide individual variability in the way expectancies influenced job-search patterns. Low probabilities of receiving job offers acted as much stronger search deterrrants for some Ss than for others. Results are discussed in terms of (a) possible sources of individual differences in expectancy usage, (b) the value of using multiple methodologies to investigate decision processes, and (c) the desirability of broadening the types of questions typically asked about the role of expectancies in job search and choice. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Person-organization fit and work-related attitudes and decisions: Examining interactive effects with job fit and conscientiousness.

This study examined boundary conditions that surround the importance of perceived person-organization (P-O) fit for work-related attitudes and decisions. The authors hypothesized that P-O fit is more strongly related to satisfaction and job choice decisions when needs-supplies (N-S) job fit or demands-abilities (D-A) job fit is low, and that P-O fit is more strongly related to job choice decisions for highly conscientious individuals. Hypotheses were tested among 299 participants in a 12-week internship program. Results indicated that P-O fit was more strongly related to satisfaction when individuals experienced low N-S job fit. P-O fit was more strongly related to job choice intentions when individuals experienced low D-A job fit or were highly conscientious. Finally, P-O fit was related to job offer acceptance for highly conscientious individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hysterectomy: improving the patient's decision-making process

Increasingly, patients are expecting to be more involved than they traditionally have been in medical and surgical decision making. The unilateral process of informed consent is evolving into one of informed collaborative choice. Hysterectomy is a procedure that is frequently performed when reasonable surgical and nonsurgical alternatives remain. When professional consensus as to the clear recommendation for hysterectomy is not present, patient choice is particularly important. Because more than 80% of health-care decisions, including those in which one of the choices is hysterectomy, are elective, gynecologists and other health care providers increasingly will need to develop more efficient and collaborative methods to integrate patient autonomy and choice into the decision-making process. There is mounting evidence that both clinical and nonclinical outcomes (satisfaction and cost) may be improved when properly informed consumers collaborate in making medical and surgical decisions. Legal liability for adverse outcomes may be decreased by increased patient participation in medical and surgical decision making. The era of managed care has created an agency problem stemming from the fact that consumers (patients) are concerned that necessary procedures and other treatments may be withheld because of cost considerations. Health plans and medical groups likely will be required to provide objective information about the options that consumers (patients) have when faced with choices, including decision making and hysterectomy. By incorporating patient expectations and preferences as part of the process of decision making, an ethically acceptable and effective method of "rationing by patient choice" may be feasible. Figure 3 is a graphic depiction of such a process of informed collaborative choice progressing from effective choices through efficient choices and then to the one providing the best value for an individual patient.     

Should I go with my gut? Investigating the benefits of emotion-focused decision making.

Deliberative decision strategies have historically been considered the surest path to sound decisions; however, recent evidence and theory suggest that affective strategies may be equally as effective. In four experiments we examined conditions under which affective versus deliberative decision strategies might result in higher decision quality. While consciously focusing on feelings versus details, participants made choices that varied in complexity, in extent of subsequent conscious deliberation allowed, and in domain. Results indicate that focusing on feelings versus details led to superior objective and subjective decision quality for complex decisions. However, when using a feeling-focused approach, subsequent deliberation after encoding resulted in reduced choice quality. These results suggest that affective decision strategies may be more effective relative to deliberative strategies for certain complex decisions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Decision processes in personnel selection.

Reviews some of the research on decision making in personnel selection, with special attention to the greater weighting of unfavorable information in selection decisions and to the nature of causal attributions in the personnel interview. A 2-stage selection model is proposed in which decision makers first make attributions about the applicant and then categorize the applicant either as matching or not matching the dimensions of the category "good worker" as determined by deviance from the prototype "ideal worker." The attribution process ends when sufficient dimensions have been evaluated to provide a match or mismatch, and the length of the process should vary as a function of such factors as the number of dimensions, their clarity and specificity, and the accountability of the decision maker. It is suggested that job applicants perform a parallel decision-making process to match their needs and the perceived ability of the organization to meet them. (French abstract) (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interviewers' perceptions of person–organization fit and organizational selection decisions.

Amodel of person–organization fit and organizational hiring decisions is developed and tested, using data from 38 interviewers making hiring decisions about 93 applicants. Results suggest that interviewers can assess applicant–organization values congruence with significant levels of accuracy and that interviewers compare their perceptions of applicants' values with their organizations' values to assess person–organization fit. Results also suggested that interviewers' subjective person–organization fit assessments have large effects on their hiring recommendations relative to competing applicant characteristics, and that interviewers' hiring recommendations directly affect organizations' hiring decisions (e.g., job offers). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of valid selection procedures on work-force productivity.

Used decision theoretic equations to estimate the impact of the Programmer Aptitude Test (PAT) on productivity if used to select new computer programers for 1 yr in the federal government and the national economy. A newly developed technique was used to estimate the standard deviation of the dollar value of employee job performance, which in the past has been the most difficult and expensive item of required information. For the federal government and the US economy separately, results are presented for different selection ratios and for different assumed values for the validity of previously used selection procedures. The impact of the PAT on programmer productivity was substantial for all combinations of assumptions. Results support the conclusion that hundreds of millions of dollars in increased productivity could be realized by increasing the validity of selection decisions in this occupation. Similarities between computer programers and other occupations are discussed. It is concluded that the impact of valid selection procedures on work-force productivity is considerably greater than most personnel psychologists have believed. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological connectedness and intertemporal choice.

People tend to attach less value to a good if they know a delay will occur before they obtain it. For example, people value receiving $100 tomorrow more than receiving $100 in 10 years. We explored one reason for this tendency (due to Parfit, 1984): In terms of psychological properties, such as beliefs, values, and goals, the decision maker is more closely linked to the person (his or her future self) receiving $100 tomorrow than to the person receiving $100 in 10 years. For this reason, he or she prefers his or her nearer self to have the $100 rather than his or her more remote self. Studies 1 and 2 showed that the greater the rated psychological connection between 2 parts of a participant’s life, the less he or she discounted future monetary and nonmonetary benefits (e.g., good days at work) over that interval. In Studies 3–5, participants read about characters who undergo large life-changing (and connectedness-weakening) events at different points in their lives and then made decisions about the timing of benefits on behalf of these characters. All 5 studies revealed a relation between perceived psychological connectedness and intertemporal choice: Participants preferred benefits to occur before large changes in connectedness but preferred costs to occur after these changes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Making a good decision: Value from fit.

The classic answer to what makes a decision good concerns outcomes. A good decision has high outcome benefits (it is worthwhile) and low outcome costs (it is worth it). I propose that, independent of outcomes or value from worth, people experience a regulatory fit when they use goal pursuit means that fit their regulatory orientation, and this regulatory fit increases the value of what they are doing. The following postulates of this value from fit proposal are examined: (a) People will be more inclined toward goal means that have higher regulatory fit, (b) people's motivation during goal pursuit will be stronger when regulatory fit is higher, (c) people's (prospective) feelings about a choice they might make will be more positive for a desirable choice and more negative for an undesirable choice when regulatory fit is higher, (d) people's (retrospective) evaluations of past decisions or goal pursuits will be more positive when regulatory fit was higher, and (e) people will assign higher value to an object that was chosen with higher regulatory fit. Studies testing each of these postulates support the value-from fit proposal. How value from fit can enhance or diminish the value of goal pursuits and the quality of life itself is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The impact of lean production and related new systems of work organization on worker health.

New systems of work organization, such as lean production and total quality management, have been introduced by employers throughout the industrialized world to improve productivity, quality, and profitability. However, few studies have examined the impact of such systems on occupational injuries or illnesses or on job characteristics related to job strain, which has been linked to hypertension and cardiovascular disease. The studies reviewed provide little evidence to support the hypothesis that lean production "empowers" auto workers. In fact, auto industry studies suggest that lean production creates intensified work pace and demands. Increases in decision authority and skill levels are modest or temporary, whereas decision latitude typically remains low. Thus, such work can be considered to have job strain. In jobs with ergonomic stressors, intensification of labor appears to lead to increases in musculoskeletal disorders. The evidence for adverse health effects remains inconclusive for related new work systems in other industries, such as modular manufacturing or patient-focused care. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexism and Beautyism Effects in Selection as a Function of Self-Monitoring Level of Decision Maker.

The authors, in two experiments, investigated the influence of the sex and attractiveness of applicants for male and female sex-typed jobs on selection decisions made by low and high self-monitors. In both experiments, attractiveness and the congruence between applicants' sex and the sex type of the job influenced selection decisions. In addition, high self-monitors were more influenced by attractiveness and sex of the applicant when hiring for sex-typed jobs than low self-monitors, but this difference in hiring pattern was not evident when the job was gender neutral. Results indicate that job applicants may encounter different employment opportunities as a function of their sex, their physical attractiveness, the sex type of the job, and the self-monitoring level of the decision maker. Implications of results are discussed and suggestions for future research are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Subtle effects of sex role stereotypes on recruiters' hiring decisions.

Asked 150 male job recruiters from 2 university placement officers to evaluate relevant employment materials on 1 hypothetical job applicant (male or female) for either a male-oriented (personnel technician) or female-oriented (editorial assistant) position to make a hiring decision. Results indicate that hiring decisions were not influenced independently by the applicant's sex or position for which he/she was applying, but rather by the interaction of the 2 variables. That is, significantly more females than males were recommended for hiring for the editorial assistant position, while significantly more males were recommended for the personnel technician job. Post-hoc analyses revealed different trait patterns attributed to applicants recommended for hiring based on their sex-job role congruence. Implications for further research relating to personnel-related decisions are discussed. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A three-phase model of retirement decision making.

The present article organizes prominent theories about retirement decision making around three different types of thinking about retirement: imagining the possibility of retirement, assessing when it is time to let go of long-held jobs, and putting concrete plans for retirement into action at present. It also highlights important directions for future research on retirement decision making, including perceptions of declining person–environment fit, the role of personality traits, occupational norms regarding retirement, broader criteria for assessing older workers' job performance, couples' joint decision making about retirement, the impact of self-funded and self-guided pension plans on retirement decisions, bridge employment before total withdrawal from the work force, and retirement decisions that are neither entirely forced nor voluntary in nature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factors affecting employment decisions about older workers.

Investigated effects of 2 factors on simulated employment decisions about older workers. 10 male and 38 female undergraduates made decisions about older workers in 2 hypothetical work situations. The design of the study was a 2 (absolute decision vs comparison decision)?×?2 (information vs no information) factorial with repeated measures on type of decision. Significant main effects were found for both type of decision and amount of information. No significant interaction effects were found. Increasingly favorable decisions were made about older workers when (a) the situation did not require a choice between an older worker and a younger worker and (b) behaviorally stated performance information about the older worker was provided. A separate study assessed the specificity of the factors' impact on older workers. 13 male and 35 female undergraduates made decisions about younger workers, using the same procedures used in the 1st study. These results indicate that, for younger workers, the effect of the type of decision depended on the amount of information. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Position choice: Comparing the importance of organizational and job factors.

Examined the relative importance of 3 job factors and 3 organizational factors in individual position choice decisions and used a new methodology for determining such relative importance weights. The study also examined 2 individual differences—growth need strength and amount of previous work experience—as potentially influencing the relative importance of job and organizational variables. Data were collected from 62 American and Canadian graduate management students. Results suggest that pay and fringe benefits were the most important factors in the position choice situation, followed by use of skills and abilities, responsibility and leadership, and autonomy and independence, with flexibility of working hours and types of services the organization provides the 2 least important factors. Growth need strength and amount of previous work experience were related to relative importance of job and organizational variables. The advantages and disadvantages of the new methodology are assessed. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of values on perception and decision making: A study of alternative work values measures.

Four alternative methods of measuring values were used to examine the impact of work values on perception and decision-making tasks. Perception and its relation to values was assessed using interpretation of ambiguous stimuli. The effect of values on decision making was evaluated using within-subject regression analyses of 20 separate decisions. A total of 103 undergraduate subjects completed values measures and the perceptual and decision-making tasks in three work sessions, each separated by from 2 to 4 days. A rank order measure of values related more consistently to perception and decision making than did other measurement methods. Results also provide some support for a theory of values in which values affect perceptual organization and act as a guide to decision making. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alternative opportunities and withdrawal decisions: Empirical and theoretical discrepancies and an integration.

Data reported in labor market studies in which unemployment rates in a geographical area, industry, or time period are correlated with voluntary termination rates from work organizations support the hypothesized role of available alternatives in the satisfaction–quit process. Studies conducted at the individual termination-decision level support neither the theoretical propositions nor generalization of the results of analyses of aggregated data to individuals' decision to leave a job or organization. Three explanations for these inconsistencies are offered: (1) Different economies produce different work forces. (2) Job opportunities influence job satisfaction directly. (3) Job opportunities, not intentions, influence turnover directly. An integrated explanation based on the direct influence of economic/unemployment conditions of job affect, which is consistent with theoretical models of social attitudes and job affect formation as well as with empirical evidence, is presented. It is suggested that statements about the rationality of job-termination decisions must be made in view of the full range of factors that affect job utilities and utilities of alternative activities, including the utilities associated with being unemployed. (57 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)