Comparison of economic and noneconomic factors in predicting faculty vote preference in a union representation election.

Assessed the strength of economic and noneconomic perspectives in predicting vote preferences before and after a faculty union representation election by surveying 712 full- and part-time faculty members in degree-granting departments and other instructional and support units at a large midwestern public university. The major economic and noneconomic variables that have been investigated as correlates and predictors of union vote attitudes and behavior were of primary interest. Results show that faculty vote preferences were best predicted by attitudes toward collective bargaining at the institution, social forces acting on the faculty, and the perceived instrumentality of a collective bargaining agent in bringing about various desired outcomes. A generally accepted model of the unionization process is revised to reflect the finding that attitudes contribute significantly in explaining variability in vote preferences beyond that accounted for by instrumentality or satisfaction alone. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of job enlargement and job change on contiguous but nonmanipulated jobs as a function of workers' status.

Assigned 48 client-worker Ss in a sheltered workshop to 1 of 8 work groups. Ratings of group status, attitudes, and tension were obtained from each S before and after manipulation of the job content. The jobs of low-status Ss were either enlarged or changed without enlargement in the presence of high-status Ss whose jobs remained the same, and vice versa. Job enlargement was found generally to be of no greater influence than job change without enlargement so far as Ss' job satisfaction and tension were concerned. Low-status Ss tended to be favorably affected by job manipulation but responded unfavorably when their jobs were not manipulated. These opposing directions are attributed to a double Hawthorne effect. It is concluded that the effect of job enlargement in an organizational context involves a more complex combination of factors than has been previously considered. The utility of the S population for field studies of worker behavior is discussed. (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting union attitudes in student part-time workers.

Examined the predictors of general union attitudes in a sample of 84 high school and 42 first year university students (aged 15–21 yrs) who were employed part-time. In addition to two aspects of family socialization towards unions (parents' perceived union attitudes and perceived union activities), Ss' job quality and satisfaction with both co-workers and supervisors were also assessed as predictors of their own general union attitudes. Results show that only Ss' perception of their parents' general union attitudes was significantly associated with their own general union attitudes. Thus, family socialization contributed the greatest amount of variance to general union attitudes. Neither job quality, nor supervisory or co-worker satisfaction were associated with Ss' union attitudes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of job characteristics to job involvement, satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation.

Administered questionnaires to 291 scientists working in research and development laboratories. Results of a factor analysis indicate that job-involvement attitudes, higher order need-satisfaction attitudes, and intrinsic-motivation attitudes should be thought of as separate and distinct kinds of attitudes toward a job. These 3 types of attitudes related differentially to job design factors and to job behavior. Satisfaction proved to be related to such job characteristics as the amount of control the job allowed the holder and the degree to which it is seen to be relevant to the holder's valued abilities. Satisfaction was not related to either self-rated effort or performance. Job involvement, like satisfaction, bore a significant relationship to certain job characteristics; unlike satisfaction, however, involvement was positively related to self-rated effort. Intrinsic motivation was less strongly related to the job characterisitcs measured, but was more strongly related to both effort and performance than was either satisfaction or involvement. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A meta-analysis and review of organizational research on job involvement.

The author develops a theoretical framework relating job involvement to its antecedents. correlates, and consequences and reports meta-analyses of 51 pairwise relationships involving job involvement. Results of the meta-analyses support research suggesting that job involvement is influenced by personality and situational variables. Job involvement was strongly related to job and work attitudes but not to role perceptions, behavioral work outcomes, negative "side effects," or demographic variables. Moderator analyses indicated little difference in the strength of relationships based on involvement measure. The author found modest but systematic differences in the strength of relationships between studies of employees of public versus private organizations. He compares and contrasts the results of this study with meta-analytic findings regarding organizational commitment, discusses important theoretical considerations in the research stream, and offers suggestions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of community and plant characteristics on job attitudes of manual workers.

Administered a questionnaire to 2,543 female manual workers to examine relationships between job attitudes and the population characteristics of 10 communities in which Ss were employed. Several suggested causes of job attitude-community relationships were also evaluated, particularly the effect of certain plant characteristics. The relationships obtained related mainly to Ss' attitudes toward their pay and the nature of their work. Results suggest that workers from urban-type communities are better disposed to accepting rationalized and paced work than those from rural areas. Several attitude-population relationships were affected by within-plant characteristics. Results provide some support for the hypothesis that community factors affect workers' job attitudes by creating a frame of reference within which judgments are made. (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward persons with a disability: An examination of demographic factors, social context, and specific disability.

Attempted to replicate the findings of S. A. Grand et al (see record 1983-08199-001) concerning the multidimensional nature of attitudes toward persons with a disability, and examined the relationship between attitudes toward persons with a disability and salient demographic and contact variables. 214 university faculty and staff (aged 19–73 yrs) completed a disability social relationship scale that examined attitudes about members of specific disability groups (people with cerebral palsy, epileptics, amputees, and blind people) in various situations (work, dating, marriage), and a demographic data form assessing age, education level, SES, gender, and religion. Results support the multidimensionality hypothesis, and a hierarchical regression analysis revealed that increased contact with persons with a disability, younger age, and higher levels of education were the best predictors of more favorable scores. However, demographic variables accounted for limited variance in attitudes. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diversity beliefs as a mediator to faculty attitudes toward students with disabilities.

A survey of a sample of faculty (N = 201) at a large, public university located in the Southwest was conducted to investigate whether differences in faculty attitudes toward diversity positively mediate faculty attitudes toward persons with disabilities. In addition, the current study examined whether differences in faculty attitudes toward diversity may be viewed as positively mediating the relationship between instructor characteristics and their attitudes toward persons with disabilities. This study concludes that faculty members may not be viewing disability as part of the greater construct of diversity with empirical evidence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Feminine self-esteem, self-ratings of competence, and maternal career commitment.

Conducted a study with 71 college females to examine the relationship between self-esteem (as measured by Coopersmith's Self-Esteem Inventory) and self-ratings of competence on Rosenkrantz's Sex-Role Stereotype Questionnaire. Comparisons were made of Ss whose mothers differed in work history and attitudes toward careers. Higher self-esteem was predicted for Ss who rated themselves highly on competence-related traits; this hypothesis was supported. Higher self-esteem and higher self-ratings on competence were expected for Ss whose mothers worked and Ss whose mothers desired a career. Findings were that maternal preference for a career had a positive effect upon Ss' self-esteem and evaluations of their own competence; maternal employment did not. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is job search related to employment quality? It all depends on the fit.

In this longitudinal study on job search, fit perceptions, and employment quality, 113 graduates completed surveys prior to organizational entry and 4 mo after entry. Job search behavior and career planning were positively related to pre-entry person job (P-J) and person-organization (P-O) fit perceptions, and pre-entry P-J fit perceptions mediated the relationship between career planning and postentry P-J fit perceptions. P-J and P-O fit perceptions were positively related to job and organizational attitudes, and pre-entry P-J fit perceptions mediated the relationship between career planning and job attitudes. Further, the relationships between pre-entry fit perceptions and employment quality were mediated by postentry fit perceptions. These results indicate that P-J and P-O fit perceptions play an important role in linking job search to employment quality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in youth's attitudes toward authority: The transition from university to employment.

In 3 studies, 3 different samples of graduating male students, drawn from the faculties of engineering, education, and social sciences at a university (ns = 70, 70, and 60, respectively) were tested before and after a period of full-time employment for changes in attitudes toward authority. Differences were reported between students who proceeded to graduate studies and those who entered employment. The hypothesis that negative attitudes would decline and liking and submissive responses would increase for Ss making the transition from university to employment was supported in all 3 studies in which a 1-yr follow-up was conducted. By contrast, students who continued in a university career showed very little decline in critical attitudes. Results are interpreted in the context of the permissiveness of the university environment, and implications for counselor functions and counseling concepts are discussed. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential effectiveness of written and verbal communications in modifying students' perceptions of the counseling center's role.

Recent research has indicated that students' attitudes regarding the roles of the college counseling center can be modified. One line of research has suggested the effectiveness of an in vivo presentation. A second line of research has suggested that a personally written letter is also an effective modifier. However, there has been no empirical comparison of the relative effectiveness of these 2 procedures within the same experiment. This is especially important given the difference in expense between the 2 procedures. The present experiment, conducted with 157 university students, evaluated the comparative effectiveness of an in vivo presentation, a personally written letter, and an impersonal brochure in modifying Ss' attitudes toward the appropriateness of personal/social, vocational, and college routine concerns for discussion with a counseling psychologist. Results suggest that simple presentation of the facts was enough to correct attitudes toward vocational and college routine concerns. With regard to modifying attitudes concerning personal/social concerns, the in vivo procedure was not significantly more effective than the personal letter. This result calls into question the economic justifiability of using the relatively more expensive in vivo communication. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nonverbal cues in the employment interview: Links between applicant qualities and interviewer judgments.

Investigated the role of nonverbal behavior in the employment interview inference process, using a modified Brunswik lens model. Job interviews for an actual research assistant position were conducted and videotaped with 34 candidates (aged 18–67 yrs). Job applicants' self-appraised motivation to work and social skill were assessed, and their nonverbal behaviors during the interview were scored. 18 judges with training and experience in employment interviewing watched the videotaped interviews and rated the Ss on their motivation, social skill, and hirability. Social skill was more accurately inferred by the judges as a group than was motivation to work. Ss' social skill was apparently transmitted to the judges via 3 nonverbal cues: rate of gesturing, time spent talking, and formality of dress. In contrast, there was a lack of correspondence between cues correlated with Ss' self-appraised motivation to work and those used by judges in making their attributions. Implications for employment interview training are discussed. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The structure of attitudes toward persons with a disability, when specific disability and context are considered.

Examined the structure of the Disability Social Relationship (DSR) scale developed by S. A. Grand et al (1982) with data from 259 university students in 5 health care areas: occupational therapy, physical therapy, medicine, nursing, and clinical psychology. Data support the multidimensionality of attitudes toward persons who have a physical disability and the interaction influence of specific target disability and social situation on these attitudes. Attitudinal components, as measured by the DSR scale, reflected the importance of perceived limitations of particular disabilities, apprehensions concerning social stigmatization, situational constraints, and Ss' perceptions of functional limitations as interfering with relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The roles of occupational knowledge and vocational self-concept crystallization in students' school-to-work transition.

Examined 2 hypothesized predictors of college students' school-to-work transition difficulty, level of occupational knowledge and crystallization of vocational self-concept. 118 bachelor's and master's candidates at the business school of a university completed a questionnaire concerning their job search knowledge 2 wks before the campus job interviewing season began. They also completed a questionnaire on the results of their job search 2 wks before graduation. Results show that occupational knowledge, measured before the beginning of the job search, predicted whether Ss received at least 1 job offer before graduation and the total number of offers received. Presearch measures of self-concept crystallization predicted the receipt of at least 1 offer, confidence in the job decision, and satisfaction with type of work. Ss' effectiveness in selling their job qualifications during campus interviews and their ability to select positions with more desirable job attributes received some support as process variables in these relationships. Thus, findings provide moderate support for the relation of occupational knowledge and self-concept crystallization to students' school-to-work transition difficulty. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)