Effects of parents' job insecurity on children's work beliefs and attitudes.

The authors hypothesized that children's perceptions of their parents' job insecurity mediate the effects of parental job insecurity and layoffs on children's work beliefs and work attitudes. Male and female undergraduate students (N?=?134; M age?=?18.9 years), as well as their mothers (M age?=?47.0 years) and fathers (M age = 49.1 years), participated voluntarily. With structural equation modeling as implemented by LISREL VIII, support for the proposed model was obtained, whereas no support was obtained for a competing model. Moreover, identification with fathers moderated the influence of perceived paternal job insecurity on children's humanistic work beliefs, but no comparable effect emerged for mothers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work values and job satisfaction.

114 student airmen and 306 noncommissioned officers completed measures of job satisfaction and work values. Consistent relationships appeared between these 2 sets of variables. Evidence indicates that the job satisfaction variance controlled by work values is independent of that controlled by other variables. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of personal background and training on work values of the hard-core unemployed.

Investigated differences in the work values of 110 disadvantaged, hard-core unemployed and 180 unskilled or semiskilled industrial employees, identified biographical correlates of work values, and examined changes in work values following training (as measured by the Survey of Work Values). When compared with regular employees, hard-core trainees placed less emphasis on keeping active on the job, taking pride in their work, and subscribing to the traditional Protestant ethic, but placed more emphasis on making money on the job. Significant relationships were found between background characteristics and work values of the hard core. Changes in work values of disadvantaged Ss after 8 wk. of training did not differ from those of 252 controls (insurance agents and college students) who completed the Survey twice. (23 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measurement of job and work involvement.

Developed separate measures of job and work constructs using 3 techniques: semantic differential, questionnaire, and graphic. Assessment measures included the Job Involvement and Work Involvement Questionnaires, Job Involvement and Work Involvement Semantic Differentials, and Job Involvement and Work Involvement Graphic scales. Data collected from a heterogeneous sample of 703 employees are analyzed to establish reliability, construct validity, and criterion-related validity of each measure. Results reveal that questionnaire and graphic measures pass the tests of reliability and validity. Semantic differential measures, however, have questionable validity for measuring work involvement and should, perhaps, be limited to only highly educated samples of respondents. Results also support the conceptual distinction between job and work involvement. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of person and job stereotypes on two personnel decisions.

Two studies investigated whether the effects of incumbent age on personnel decisions are different in a stereotypically older job than in a stereotypically younger job. In Exp I, 19 26–52 yr old managers were asked to make awards recommendations and overall evaluations for 18 hypothetical employees in 3 jobs that varied in age stereotype. Hypothetical employees varied in age and exhibited either a stereotypically older performance pattern or a stereotypically younger pattern of performance. Significant Job?×?Performance Pattern and Target Age?×?Pattern interactions were found in the awards exercises. In Exp II, 19 26–62 yr old managers were asked to make promotion decisions for 18 hypothetical employees in 3 jobs. Again, the Job?×?Pattern interaction was significant. Overall results suggest that when the pattern of performance is inconsistent with the age stereotype of the job, employees receive lower ratings than when behavior is consistent with the job stereotype. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some correlates of work values.

Replicated findings by M. R. Blood (see record 1970-05754-001) concerning relationships of work values to employee affective responses. Ss were 131 hourly employees of a manufacturing firm. Further significant relationships were found between work-value indices and employee perceptions of task characteristics and of leader behaviors. The common suggestion that adherence to Protestant Ethic ideals should be associated with strong higher order needs was supported. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of a realistic job preview on job acceptance, job attitudes, and job survival.

A field experiment was conducted in a telephone company to assess the effects of a realistic job preview vs an unrealistic (i.e., "traditional") preview. Of 80 newly hired female telephone operators, those who saw a realistic job preview film subsequently had more realistic job expectations, fewer thoughts of quitting, and slightly higher job survival than those who saw a traditional preview film. There was no difference in job acceptance rates between the 2 groups. Results are discussed in light of the general process of individuals joining new organizations, and suggestions for future research are offered. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of job experience and ability on job knowledge, work sample performance, and supervisory ratings of job performance.

Based on data from 4 independent studies reported by R. Vineberg and E. N. Taylor (1972) with a total sample size of 1,474, path analysis was used to examine the causal impact of job experience on job knowledge, performance capability as measured by job sample tests, and supervisory ratings of job performance. Findings support the conclusion that (1) when mean job experience is 2–3 yrs, there is substantial variance in job experience and (2) when the jobs are of an intermediate complexity level, job experience has a substantial direct impact on job knowledge and a smaller direct impact on performance capabilities as assessed by job sample measures. Job experience also has a substantial indirect effect on work sample performance through its effect on job knowledge, which, in turn, was found to be the strongest determinant of work sample performance. The pattern and magnitude of causal effects of general mental ability were similar to those of job experience. The effect of job knowledge on supervisory ratings was several times stronger than the effect of job sample performance, confirming the findings of J. E. Hunter (1983). When job experience was held constant, the direct impact of ability on the acquisition of job knowledge increased substantially, and this, in turn, increased the indirect effect of ability on job sample performance. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations of temperament to the choice of values.

The hypothesis that the expressed value system of an individual is related to his temperament was tested. The value system was determined from response to the Ways to Live document, and temperament was measured by the Thurstone Temperament Schedule. The Ss consisted of 250 male college students of ages 20 or 21 from colleges throughout the U. S. "The results of this study strongly suggest substantial relationships between the domain of temperament and that of value, especially for values represented by Factors B and C, Enjoyment and Progress in Action, and Withdrawal and Self-Sufficiency. Relations are less marked between temperament areas and value Factor D, Receptivity… " (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of the survey of work values.

Developed a series of scales measuring attitudes toward work. The survey of work values (swv) was based on a number of dimensions of protestant ethic, specifically those aspects that deal with the meaning that an individual attaches to his role at work. The content validity of the items was established by the reallocation method of scaling. Items were analyzed to determine the best method of scoring and to select items for the subscales according to the internal consistencies and independence of the subscales. Unweighted, multipoint scoring was selected for 54 items. Swv scores discriminated among occupational groups of 449 ss and correlated with background characteristics of 342 employed and 133 disadvantaged ss. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social learning of work values in organizations.

Used social learning theory to examine the process of employee value changes in organizations. Specifically, the relationship of model and observer characteristics to value similarity was studied. Participants consisted of 141 1st-level supervisors (subordinates) and 58 higher-level supervisors (their direct supervisors), with each member describing his/her work values. Similarity in values was then related to indices of the supervisor's consideration, competence, and success within the organization. Results indicate that supervisor consideration was positively correlated with value similarity for the total sample. Supervisor success and competence were positively correlated with similarity only for pairs with low-self-esteem subordinates. Results are discussed in terms of the role-defining information provided by models with various characteristics. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Facets of work values: A structural analysis of work outcomes.

Attempted to analyze contents of work value items and to construct an explicit definition of the work values domain. A facet definition of work values is suggested that provides guidelines for selection items and the formulation of hypotheses about the structure of interrelationships among components of work values. Interview data were obtained from 2 samples of Israeli adults containing 489 Ss (median age 35 yrs) and 546 Ss (median age 38 yrs), respectively. Results of Guttman's smallest space analysis support the hypotheses. An empirical double-ordered conceptual system, a radex structure, was obtained that reflects the 2 facets of the definition: modality of outcome—material, social, and psychological—and type of outcome—performance relations (reward, resource). The fact that essentially the same structure was obtained in 2 independent samples lends substantial support to the definitional framework of work values suggested. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intertemporal choice: Neuronal and psychological determinants of economic decisions.

This introductory article provides a short overview of empirical and theoretical articles presented in the special issue on psychological and neural models of intertemporal decision making, which is divided into 2 parts. The first part consists of contributions presenting different models of intertemporal choice. These contributions provide an overview of current conceptualizations; that is, providing several psychological and neural frameworks, investigating how memory processes are related to the anticipation of time, and showing how the perception of time underlies our decisions about the future. A final article deals with factors that influence choices on environmental policies where the consequences of decisions are delayed by decades or more. The second upcoming part is concerned with functional neuroimaging of intertemporal decision making. Two reviews of studies in neuroimaging and 2 empirical articles examine the questions of which brain regions (and associated functions) are involved in deciding on options with different temporal consequences. We hope this volume will be conducive in developing a better understanding of intertemporal decision making as part of complex sets of neural processes as well as psychological factors that include cognitive reasoning, emotional states, and the interconnected perception of time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of job previews on job acceptance and survival of telephone operator candidates.

325 candidates for a telephone operator position were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 job preview conditions: realistic, favorable, and control. Although acceptances were lower in the sample receiving the realistic preview, there were no significant differences in survival rates beyond 1 mo. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Eclecticism at work: Approaches to job design.

Explores a particular aspect of work-job design-and emphasizes the range of alternatives available. Job enlargement and modified work weeks are briefly examined. It is suggested that the orientation of the problem solver and the issue of problem formulation are vital, but usually neglected aspects of job design. Some approaches to job design which capitalize on the existence of individual differences in the work force are considered. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Biases in the quantitative measurement of values for public decisions.

Measurement of personal values in terms of money or utility can promote efficient public decisions about environmental and risk regulation, health care, and so forth. Current measures are subject to several biases. Quantitative judgments of value are often based on a concept of importance that ignores the quantity of the good being valued. They are sensitive to irrelevant factors, such as cost of the good (vs. its benefit) and whether it has been reduced by human action or nature. Some judgments are based on moral opinions about actions rather than on the value of consequences. Some of these problems seem solvable by methods that remove irrelevant information or force attention to relevant information. Other problems are less tractable. Their solution should be a high priority for research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of job information as a criterion in employment decisions of interviewers.

Conducted 2 factorially designed experiments to investigate the extent to which job information was used by interviewers as a criterion for their decisions. In Exp I 48 experienced and 48 unexperienced job interviewers received identical job information. Applicant information was either relevant or irrelevant to the job information. Ss' judgments were based on composites of relevant and irrelevant information segments. Each of the segments was either favorable or unfavorable. Exp II replicated Exp I, except that the 48 Ss did not receive job information. Findings indicate extensive use of job information. Availability of such information reduced the effect of irrelevant attributes on decisions but did not eliminate it. Use of job information was not enhanced by experience in interviewing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of anticipated job loss on employee behavior.

Compared the behavior (i.e., productivity, absenteeism, and lateness) of 100 employees who knew that they were to be laid off or not laid off. No significant changes in the absenteeism, lateness, or production were found in either group during the 3-mo period. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)