Effects of race on interview ratings in a situational panel interview.

This study investigated the effects of interviewer race, candidate race, and racial composition of interview panels on interview ratings. Data were collected on 153 police officers applying for promotion. Results confirmed a same-race rating effect (i.e., candidates racially similar to interviewers received higher ratings) for Black and White interviewers on racially balanced panels. A majority-race rating effect (i.e., candidates racially similar to the majority race of panel interviewers received higher ratings) existed for Black and White interviewers on primarily White panels. Rating patterns of Black and White interviewers on primarily Black panels also suggested a majority-race rating effect. Racial composition of selection interview panels in combination with interviewer and candidate race were proposed as variables affecting candidates' ratings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cellular Automata Model for Predicting the Failure Pattern of Laterally Loaded Masonry Wall Panels

This paper introduces a technique that directly predicts the failure patterns of laterally loaded masonry panels based on the results of existing typical panels tested in the laboratory. The technique is based on the use of the cellular automata (CA). In this technique, the CA modeling is established to propagate boundary effects to zones within a panel. The corresponding rules for the state values of zones are derived from the proposed CA model, using appropriate transition functions. These state values are then used by the CA to establish zone similarity between two panels. Finally, the zone similarity is applied to establish locations of cracks on the panel. The technique is used in a novel way that eliminates the use of any numerical tools such as finite-element analysis (FEA). This technique is purely based on comparing the failure pattern of the base panel (a panel whose failure pattern is known from the laboratory tests) and unseen panels (panels not tested in the laboratory by the writers or with unknown failure patterns) subjected to the same type of loading and with similar boundary conditions to predict the failure load of the unseen panels.     

Race, arousal, attention, exposure and delay: An examination of factors moderating face recognition.

A large percentage of people recently exonerated by DNA evidence were imprisoned on the basis of faulty eyewitness identification. Many of these cases involved victims and suspects of different races. Two studies examined the recognition of Hispanic and Black target faces by Hispanic participants under nonoptimal viewing conditions. When viewing time decreased, recognition performance for same- and other-race faces systematically shifted downward. Recognition accuracy for faces of both races decreased under conditions of high negative arousal and attention load; however, recognition of same-race faces was differentially affected by attention distractors. Face recognition accuracy was not affected by a delay between initial presentation of the faces and the face recognition test. An understanding of how recognition of other-race persons differs from that of same-race persons can assist by reducing misidentifications and ensuring that the perpetrator rather than an innocent person is imprisoned. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Do people do what they say? Further studies on the situational interview.

In Study 1, an interview consisting of 20 situational questions plus 5 past-experience questions was administered to 29 female clerical workers who had worked for the company an average of 6 yrs, and responses were correlated to the observations of supervisors and peers collected by means of an on-the-job appraisal instrument. S responses and appraisals correlated significantly; however, no relationship was found between what Ss said they had done in the past and current appraisals. In Study 2, the predictive validity of the situational interview with 157 entry-level employees (mean age 28.51 yrs) was tested by comparing interview ratings with performance appraisals 3 yrs later. Results show a significant relationship but, since hired Ss performed no differently than the 192 Ss (mean age 29.76 yrs) who were not hired on the situational interview, it had no practical significance. A follow-up study with 29 of the hired Ss who were reinterviewed showed that the original interviewers had not used the situational interview correctly. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Oogenetic and zygotic gene expression directing early bovine embryogenesis: a review

Temperature-sensitive (ts) mutant viruses have been useful for the study of replication processes in many viral systems. To determine how our panel of MHV-JHM-derived RNA- ts mutants (Robb et al., 1979) is genetically related to other panels of MHV RNA- ts mutants, we tested our mutants for complementation with representatives from two different sets of MHV-A59 ts mutants (Koolen et al., 1983; Schaad et al., 1990). These three ts mutant panels together comprise eight genetically distinct complementation groups. Considerable genetic similarity was observed among the three mutant panels. Only three complementation classes are unique to their particular mutant panel, and genetically equivalent mutants were not observed within the other two mutant panels. There are two overlapping complementation groups between the mutant sets derived from MHV-A59 and four overlapping complementation classes between the MHV-JHM panel and the MHV-A59 panels. Two complementation groups had representative mutants in all three mutant panels. One of these latter complementation classes demonstrated nonreciprocal complementation patterns consistent with intragenic complementation.     

The validity of employment interviews: A comprehensive review and meta-analysis.

Presents the findings of a project investigating the validity of the employment interview. Analyses are based on 245 coefficients derived from 86,311 individuals. Results show that interview validity depends on the content of the interview (situational, job related, or psychological), how the interview is conducted (structured vs unstructured; board vs individual), and the nature of the criterion (job performance, training performance, and tenure; research or administrative ratings). Situational interviews had higher validity than did job-related interviews, which, in turn, had higher validity than did psychologically based interviews. Structured interviews were found to have higher validity than unstructured interviews. Interviews showed similar validity for job performance and training performance criteria, but validity for the tenure criteria was lower. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of physical contact in an encounter group context.

120 male and 120 female undergraduates participated in brief encounter group experiences that varied the amount of physical contact in the structured exercises: (no-touch, moderate-touch, and high-touch). Ss were assigned to 4-person same- or opposite-sex groups for the structured activities. The study was a 2 * 2 * 3 analysis of variance design (sex, group composition, and touch). Analysis of the Comfortable Interpersonal Distance Scale, the semantic differential, and the Risk-Taking Behavior Questionnaire was consistent with behavioral data in showing the positive effects of increased physical contact. Group composition yielded parallel results, with heterosexually balanced groups reporting more favorable outcomes. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Initial evaluations in the interview: Relationships with subsequent interviewer evaluations and employment offers.

The authors of this study examine how evaluations made during an early stage of the structured interview (rapport building) influence end of interview scores, subsequent follow-up employment interviews, and actual internship job offers. Candidates making better initial impressions received more internship offers (r = .22) and higher interviewer ratings (r = .42). As predicted, initial evaluations of candidate competence extend beyond liking and similarity to influence subsequent interview outcomes from the same interviewer (ΔR2 = .05), from a separate interviewer (ΔR2 = .05), and from another interviewer who skipped rapport building (ΔR2 = .05). In contrast, assessments of candidate liking and similarity were not significantly related to other judgments when ratings were provided by different interviewers. The findings of this study thus indicate that initial impressions of candidates influence employment outcomes, and that they may be based on useful judgments of candidate competence that occur in the opening minutes of the structured interview. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation between self- and other-acceptance and its moderation by identification.

Although psychologists and lay people share a common belief that positive self-regard is associated directly with positive regard for others, the influence of parameters such as the nature of the others and their perceived similarity to the self rarely is considered. To investigate the influence of the degree of identification with the others who are rated on self–other correlations, we examined the relation of self-ratings to ratings of same- and opposite-sex others in 60 preadolescent boys and 69 preadolescent girls. Each subject rated himself or herself and 8–20 classmates on 7 personality variables. Favorable self-ratings and ratings of same- and opposite-sex others were significantly positively associated in both groups: Girls exhibited similar self–other relations when rating same- and opposite-sex others; boys identified more strongly with their sex roles than girls and exhibited a stronger relation between self- and other-ratings when the others were of the same sex. We concluded that a positive relation between self- and other-acceptance is fairly robust, but the magnitude of the relation is moderated by the degree of identification with those rated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What are the odds? How demographic similarity affects the prevalence of perceived employment discrimination.

Because research is needed to identify the conditions that facilitate or impede the prevalence of perceived workplace discrimination, the authors examined the effects of demographics and demographic similarity on the prevalence of sex- and race/ethnicity-based perceived workplace discrimination. Results from a national survey of 763 full-time, United States employees show perceived sex-based discrimination at work was more prevalent among female than male employees, and perceived race-based discrimination at work was more prevalent among Black and Hispanic than White employees. Additionally, perceived racial/ethnic discrimination was less prevalent among those with same-race/ethnicity supervisors. The effect of employee-coworker sex similarity on perceived sex discrimination was significant only for women, and the effects of supervisor-subordinate racial similarity on the prevalence of perceived racial discrimination varied between Black and White respondents, depending on employee-residential-community racial similarity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A personality-based similar-to-me effect in the employment interview: Conscientiousness, affect-versus competence-mediated interpretations, and the role of job relevance.

Past research on the employment interview has unearthed a "similar-to-me" effect signaling that rater-applicant similarity on various demographic and attitudinal variables will tend to inflate (bias) rater judgments. This study probes whether a similar-to-me effect hinging on personality dimensions also exists in the employment interview, using a sample of 40 male undergraduates (mean age 22.1 yrs). Results revealed rater-applicant similarity on the study's focal construct--conscientiousness--significantly influences job suitability evaluations. The similar-to-me phenomenon is explored in terms of competence- and affect-based explanations, and a modified paradigm applicable to job-relevant constructs is proposed. Contrary to conventional conceptualizations of the similar-to-me phenomenon, the authors suggest that the similar-to-me effect does not necessarily reflect rater error; in some cases, rater-applicant similarity may be leveraged to bolster interview validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

False allegations of satanic abuse: case studies from the witch panic in R?ttvik 1670-71

OBJECTIVE: Nonemergency ambulance transports (NETs) represent a substantial proportion of all ambulance transports. Recently, the medical necessity of a substantial number of NETs has been questioned. The purpose of the study was threefold: 1) to formulate criteria for NET using a multidisciplinary panel; 2) to develop a structured implicit review instrument (SIRI) for the evaluation of NET from the criteria formulated; and 3) to evaluate the reliability and validity of the SIRI. Previously, a validated instrument has not been available to assess NET appropriateness. METHODS: Using a modified Delphi process and scale development techniques, a panel of ten multidisciplinary health care professionals determined criteria for NET and developed a SIRI consisting of two dimensions: 1) ambulation status and 2) medical care requirements. A convenience sample of 50 cases (occurring January through May 1996) were retrospectively reviewed by individual panel members and two panels, and categorized as either: 1) definitely appropriate NET; 2) possibly appropriate NET; 3) patient did not require ambulance transport; 4) patient required emergency transport; and 5) indeterminate. Reliability of the SIRI was assessed using percent agreement among individual panels and weighted kappa for the two panels. Interitem consistency of the SIRI was measured by Cronbach's alpha. Criterion validity was assessed by comparing percent agreements between the SIRI and Medicare reimbursement guidelines. RESULTS: Percent agreement among individual panel members was 62%. Percent agreement among the two panels was 74%, with a kappa of 0.43. Cronbach's alpha for individual panel member item response ranged from 0.647 to 0.960. Percent agreement with Medicare reimbursement guidelines was 92%. CONCLUSION: Consensus criteria and an associated SIRI were developed for determining the appropriateness of NETs. Further research is needed to build on the validity and reliability of this instrument.     

Reliability and validity of the situational interview for a sales position.

The reliability and validity of a situational interview (e.g., Latham, Saari, Pursell, & Campion, 1980) were examined for a sales position. In a pilot study, the interrater reliability of the interview was higher than that typically observed for interviews (r?=?.84). However, the estimate was probably inflated because the reliability was computed on the same data used in the item analysis phase of interview development. In a predictive validation study, the situational interview was shown to be valid (r?=?.45) in the prediction of sales productivity. After correcting for attenuation in the criterion, a validity coefficient of .47 was observed. Future research directions with respect to the situational interview are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The influence of peers on young adult substance use.

Data collected from 294 young adults, ages 19 to 25, and both a same- and an opposite-gender best friend or mate across 3 annual assessments were analyzed to examine the similarity to and influence of the peer on the young adult's substance use. The authors found similarity across time between both peers and the young adult in cigarette use, alcohol use, binge drinking, and, in most cases, marijuana use. In prospective analyses, peer use predicted young adult cigarette use, binge drinking, and problem use by the young adults. Results were generally consistent across gender and for both same- and opposite-gender peers. Findings emphasize peer influence contribution to young adult substance use and suggest the design of interventions that involve both young adults and their peers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Familiarity and children's behavior in same-age and mixed-age peer groups.

Investigated the hypothesis that differences in children's behavior in same- and mixed-age peer groups found in previous research (e.g., J. Goldman, 1981) were an artifact of different degrees of familiarity or acquaintanceship between group members. 144 previously unacquainted 1st- and 3rd-grade children were assigned to same- and mixed-age triads, and their performance at a tower building task was assessed. Following this baseline measurement, triads were randomly assigned to conditions where familiarization with teammates was manipulated, and then task performance was reassessed. The mixed-age effects found in previous research were replicated, and some of the differences found between same- and mixed-age interaction decreased when older Ss became familiar with their younger teammates. Possible mechanisms underlying mixed-age interaction are discussed. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interviewee coaching, preparation strategies, and response strategies in relation to performance in situational employment interviews: An extension of Maurer, Solamon, and Troxtel (1998).

Voluntary attendance at an interview coaching session was positively related to situational interview performance, controlling for job knowledge, motivation to do well, race, and sex of 213 candidates applying for promotion into several police and fire department jobs in a large city. Discrete preparation strategies (e.g., participation in study groups, participation in role-playing) were related to participation in coaching and also were related to interview performance beyond what could be accounted for by coaching participation, shedding some light on the potential efficacy of specific preparation strategies for enhancing success in situational interviews. Most notably, coaching attendance and preparation by interviewees were positively associated with a tendency to use strategies in the interview that enhanced the organization of interviewees' answers, and this organization was positively associated with performance in the interview. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acceptability of three convenience chicken products

Three convenience products--frozen, precooked chicken apple fritters, chicken breast fillets, and chicken patties--provided by one processor were subjectively evaluated by two taste panels of older adults, ranging in age from the sixties to middle eighties. The panelists represented a middle-income group maintaining private homes and a low-income group living in public housing. Both panels rated each product above "good" (score=4) or "fair" (score=3) on four acceptability factors and the overall score. Although mean scores of the low-income taste panel on all factors were generally higher for all products, the only significant difference (P less than .01) pertained to the appearance factor. Both panels indicated willingness to buy all three products.