Job characteristics and job attitudes: A multivariate study.

Obtained attitude data from 556 employees in a western telephone company. Respondents held 1 of 16 "craft" jobs in the department selected for study. Multiple discriminant function analysis was performed using 16 groups formed on the basis of Ss' job titles. Variables used in this primary analysis included job satisfaction, organizational commitment, motivational force, and sources of organizational attachment. Discriminatory power for the 16 group solution was .53. A secondary analysis was performed in which discriminant function means were related to means of jobs on several job characteristics variables. Viewed jointly these 2 analyses suggest that the relatively high discriminatory power achieved in the primary analysis may have been a function of job scope-job attitude relationship demonstrated in the secondary analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Classes of adult offenders: A multivariate approach.

Attempted to develop a classification system based on the personality characteristics of reformatory inmates. Although such systems have been of demonstrated utility in other areas of psychopathology, the classification of adult offenders has been generally ignored. Classes were identified through a 2-stage clustering analysis of the personality profiles of 287 male reformatory inmates and 100 male undergraduates. The major assessment instrument was the Differential Personality Inventory. A multiple-choice vocabulary test, a self-rating inventory, and 31-item questionnaire was administered. 12 of these classes replicated with a 2nd, similar sample. Further examination with discriminant analyses and replication with a 2nd assessment instrument support the distinctness and stability of the classes. Results from the personality inventory and a specially constructed questionnaire were used to describe each of the classes. (40 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mediators of physical activity behavior change: A multivariate approach.

Objective: Using a multivariate extension of the Baron and Kenny (1986) mediation framework, we examined the simultaneous effect of variables hypothesized to mediate the relationship between a motivationally tailored physical activity intervention, and 6-month physical activity behavior in 239 healthy, underactive adults (M age = 47.5; 82% women). Design: Participants were randomly assigned to (a) print-based feedback; (b) telephone-based feedback; or (c) contact control. Main Outcome Measures: Psychosocial variables, including self-efficacy, decisional balance, and processes of change. Results: All mediation criteria were satisfied for both intervention arms. A moderate indirect effect of print (0.39, 95% CI = 0.21, 0.57) was found due to increases in behavioral processes (0.54, 95% CI = 0.29, 0.80) being attenuated by decreases due to cognitive processes (-0.17, 95%CI = 0.31,-.03). A moderate indirect effect was observed for telephone (0.47, 95% CI = 0.28, 0.66), with increases due to behavioral processes (0.61, 95% CI = 0.34, 0.87) attenuated by decreases due to cognitive processes (0.15, 95% CI = -0.27, -0.02); self-efficacy and decisional balance mediational paths did not attain statistical significance. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of studies that deconstruct the theoretical components of interventions to determine which combination produces the greatest behavior changes at the lowest cost. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The statistical analysis of dyadic social behavior: A multivariate approach.

Extends the logic of the univariate model for studying dyadic social interaction and presents a multivariate model. The more general multivariate model is illustrated using hypothetical data and real data from a study by M. Jacklin et al (see record 1979-25785-001) on girl–girl, boy–boy, and girl–boy interactions among 45 preschoolers. The 8 variables used included passive behavior, frequency of aggression, and frequency of social withdrawal. Some advantages of this model include detection of Type I error rates and generality. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cult involvement: A systems approach to assessment and treatment.

Views assessment and treatment of clients involved in cults from a family systems perspective. Two case examples illustrate how individuals are most vulnerable to recruitment when experiencing difficulties in separating from their family of origin. Clinical work with cult-involved Ss and their families is affected by Ss' stage of cult involvement. Characteristic cognitive and affective difficulties are evident at each stage of cult involvement, with specific implications for treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Profile analysis and the abbreviated Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale: A multivariate approach.

The abbreviated WAIS by P. Satz and S Mogel, while yielding high correlations with the standard WAIS scales, has been criticized for introducing sufficient subtest unreliability to prohibit profile interpretations. Using multivariate profile analytic techniques (R. B. Cattell's rp and hierarchical grouping analysis) and sampling from both brain-injured and psychiatric populations (ns = 118 and 173, respectively), these forms were compared in terms of overall pattern similarity and actuarial classification agreement. For both populations, results provide strong evidence that the Satz-Mogel abbreviated WAIS may be substituted for the standard WAIS for both general IQ assessment and global profile analysis. It is argued that the multivariate techniques of the present study provide statistically more reliable inferential base for WAIS profile analysis than does the comparison of individual subtests. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Job samples: A better approach to selection testing?

Comments on L. R. O'Leary's (see record 1973-25947-001) article on the use of job sample tests as valid predictors of job performance. Problems with O'Leary's presentation involve (1) individual exceptions to probabilistic predictions, (2) his switching of criteria in an example, and (3) his statement that the use of job simulation tests reduces both Type I and Type II errors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the validity of the California Psychological Inventory Socialization Scale: A multivariate approach.

Isolated groups homogeneous in role-taking ability and described them on dimensions of the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) Socialization (So) scale. Ss were 189 Swedish delinquent and nondelinquent 19-31 yr old males. 6 subscales were constructed by factor analysis. A latent profile analysis of responses to 18 items, selected from the subscales, yielded a low (n = 78 and a high (n = 106) socialization group. 75% of the delinquents were classified as the low group. In a discriminant analysis of subscale scores, the latent profile analysis groups were significantly separated. 5 subscale means were significantly different. Results support the validity of some of the subscales as indicators of the role-taking construct underlying the So scale. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nonparametric one-way multivariate analysis of variance: A computational approach based on the Pillai-Bartlett trace.

Demonstrates a method for computing the omnibus test statistic, which illustrates the relation of nonparametric methods to parametric MANOVA, based on K. Pillai's (1955) and M. Bartlett's (1939) trace statistic. The required test statistic is equal to (N?–?1)V, where V is the trace statistic computed on the transformed data. The test statistic can be obtained by submitting the data, already converted to ranks or normal scores, to a packaged MANOVA program. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of injury in ice hockey players. A multivariate, multidisciplinary approach

Eighty-six male high school ice hockey players participated in this prospective study to determine both the incidence of injury in high school ice hockey and the influence of physical, situational, and psychosocial factors. Physical factors included height, weight, vision, previous injuries, musculoskeletal abnormalities, and injuries present at the time of screening evaluations. Situational factors examined were level of participation, playing time, player position, and games versus practices. Psychosocial factors such as confidence, stress, social support, positive states of mind, and mood states were also examined to determine their influences on injury. Twenty-seven injuries occurred during the 1994 to 1995 season. As hypothesized, the overall incidence of injury in high school hockey games (34.4 per 1000 player-game hours) was less than the incidence of injury in Junior A hockey (96.1 per 1000 player-game hours) and was more than previously reported for Bantam youth hockey (10.9 per 1000 player-game hours). Injuries occurred more often in games than in practices, usually as a result of collisions. Physical factors such as player position and previous injuries did not significantly predict injuries, but players in the high playing time group were more likely to be injured. Psychosocial factors of low vigor and high fatigue as measured by the Incredibly Short Profile of Mood States (ISPOMS) significantly predicted high school ice hockey injuries.     

Job involvement and organizational commitment as longitudinal predictors of job performance: A study of scientists and engineers.

A study of 532 scientists and engineers from 4 industrial research and development organizations showed that as hypothesized, the scientist–engineer distinction had a moderating effect on the relationships between job involvement and 1-year-later job-performance ratings and on counts of patents and publications. Scientists had stronger relationships between job involvement and each of the performance measures taken 1 year later than did engineers. No moderating effect was found for the scientist–engineer distinction on the relationships between organizational commitment and the performance measures. Moreover, no moderating effect was shown for an interaction term of job involvement and organizational commitment on the performance measures. Implications are discussed for theory building of the construct of job involvement and for the differential management of scientists versus engineers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Links between sexual abuse in childhood and behavioural disorders in adolescent girls: A multivariate approach.

Assessed the links between adolescent behavioral problems and childhood sexual abuse in 3 groups of girls (aged 13–19 yrs). A set of questionnaires was administered to a control group (N?=?181) and 2 clinical groups, one (N?=?62) presenting with sexual behavioral problems and the other (N?=?107) with behavioral problems of a nonsexual nature. Girls in the clinical groups who disclosed sexual abuse had experienced frequent abuse, with penetration, at an older age. Abuse revealed in the control group was less frequent, involved fondling only, and occurred at an earlier age. Considering the clinical groups alone, sexually related behavioral disorders were associated with high frequency, severity, an adolescent abuser, and a reaction of fear. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Job satisfaction and job performance: A meta-analysis.

Coded 9 variables in a meta-analysis of 74 empirical studies of job satisfaction–job performance. Aggregated studies had an S sample size of 12,192 and 217 satisfaction–performance correlations. Findings show that (1) the best estimate of the true population correlation between satisfaction and performance was relatively low (.17); (2) much of the variability in results obtained in previously research was due to the use of small sample sizes, while unreliable measurement of the satisfaction and performance constructs has contributed relatively little to this observed variability in correlations; and (3) the 9 variables coded (composite vs unidimensional criteria, longitudinal vs cross-sectional measurement of performance relative to satisfaction, the nature of the performance measure, self-reports vs other sources, use of specific performance measures, subjectivity or objectivity of measures, specific-facet satisfaction vs global satisfaction, well-documented vs researcher-developed measurement, and white-collar vs blue-collar) were only modestly related to the magnitude of the satisfaction–performance correlation. (3 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Job satisfaction among school psychologists: A meta-analysis.

Meta-analytic techniques were used to analyze data from a collection of school psychologist job satisfaction studies that were conducted between 1982 and 1999. Eight studies, all of which used the Modified Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (m-MSQ) to measure job satisfaction among school psychologists, were included in the analysis. Two national studies and six state studies totaling 2,116 participants were analyzed. Results indicated that nearly 85% of school psychologists were satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs. School psychologists were most satisfied with their relationships with coworkers, the opportunity to stay busy on the job, the opportunity to work independently, and the opportunity to be of service to others. School psychologists were least satisfied with compensation, school policies and practices, and advancement. Findings were generally consistent between state and national studies, and between 1980s and 1990s studies. Results offered some evidence that overall job satisfaction may be related to state school psychology organization membership and to the opportunity to expand and influence the role of the school psychologist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Characterizing dynamic brain responses with fMRI: a multivariate approach

In this paper we present a multivariate analysis of evoked hemodynamic responses and their spatiotemporal dynamics as measured with fast fMRI. This analysis uses standard multivariate statistics (MANCOVA) and the general linear model to make inferences about effects of interest and canonical variates analysis (CVA) to describe the important features of these effects. We have used these techniques to characterize the form of hemodynamic transients that are evoked during a cognitive or sensorimotor task. In particular we do not assume that the neural or hemodynamic response reaches some "steady state" but acknowledge that these physiological changes could show profound task-dependent adaptation and time-dependent changes during the task. To address this issue we have modeled hemodynamic responses using appropriate temporal basis functions and estimated their exact form within the general linear model using MANCOVA. We do not propose that this analysis is a particularly powerful way to make inferences about functional specialization (or more generally functional anatomy) because it only provides statistical inferences about the distributed (whole brain) responses evoked by different conditions. However, its application to characterizing the temporal aspects of evoked hemodynamic responses reveals some compelling and somewhat unexpected perspectives on transient but stereotyped responses to changes in cognitive or sensorimotor processing. The most remarkable observation is that these responses can be biphasic and show profound differences in their form depending on the extant task or condition. Furthermore these differences can be seen in the absence of changes in mean signal.     

A multivariate approach to affected-sib-pair analysis using highly dense molecular maps

Adaptation of the Bacillus subtilis strain 2335/105 (Km Inf+) containing a recombinant plasmid encoding the extracellular human interferon alpha 2 was studied under various conditions. Stability of the plasmid in the population of B. subtilis 2335/105 was estimated under nonselective conditions. The plasmid-free cells and cells with a low number of plasmid copies were found to accumulate progressively, constituting 80% of the population after 10 culture passages, indicating the poor competitiveness of cells carrying a high number of plasmid copies. The behavior of vegetative cells of the recombinant strain introduced into aquatic microcosms differing in trophic chain length was studied. Within the first 10 days, the lysis of vegetative cells of B. subtilis 2335/105 occurred; the number of viable spores was very low but remained constant for half a year.     

Vulnerability to postpartum depression: A prospective multivariate study.

A sample of 115 primiparous women was assessed during pregnancy and the postpartum to identify the predictors and correlates of postpartum depression. The variables considered were marital adjustment, attributional style, life stress, maternal expectations for and perceptions of infant behavior, and blues symptoms. The data obtained at each assessment were submitted to principal-components analyses to identify variable clusters or constructs, which were used to predict both depressive symptom levels and a diagnosis of depression. Concurrently, symptoms and diagnosis were related to mothers' perceptions of their infants as temperamentally difficult. Prospectively, depressive symptomatology was predicted by low marital adjustment and depressed mood during pregnancy, optimistic expectations for infants, prepartum life stress, and early postpartum symptoms of anxiety and cognitive impairment. Although diagnostic status was related to a subset of these variables, results indicate that depressive symptom levels and diagnosis are not synonymous measures of the construct "postpartum depression." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex differences in stress response: A multivariate analysis.

Examined the configuration of 10 behavioral, physiological, and subjective measures of stress among 30 male and 30 female undergraduates classified on the basis of sex and exposure to a stressor (mutilated bodies) and a benign stimulus. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated highly significant main effects of stress and stimulus conditions but no Sex * Stimulus interaction, although separate univariate analyses were in the direction of higher subjective reactivity to threat on the part of females. Discriminant functions corresponding to the significant multivariate main effects showed heterogeneity in discriminant variance within and between the subsets of subjective, behavioral, and physiological measures. Postexperimental judgments of stress- and attention-eliciting stimulus properties did not differ between male and female judges, suggesting that sex differences may have reflected differing modes of response to stimuli with similar properties for each sex. Implications for assessing stress-reducing treatments are briefly discussed. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychosocial outcomes in later life: A multivariate model.

A conceptual model was developed to identify developmental self-regulatory pathways to optimal psychosocial outcomes in adulthood. The model delineates influences among age, possible selves, developmental processes (i.e., coping, control), and well-being. Results showed age effects on all constructs except selective control. Three consistently common predictors of well-being (i.e., goal pursuit, goal adjustment, and optimization) emerged. The effects of age on well-being were differentially mediated by developmental processes. Specifically, negative age-related changes in offensive processes (i.e., goal attainment) were offset by positive influences of defensive processes (i.e., goal adjustment), which had the net effect of preserving well-being. The model demonstrates a more optimistic pattern of aging in which gains offset losses leading to positive outcomes and highlights the importance of examining both independent and combined influences of age, self, and developmental processes on psychosocial outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)