Depression in children: Prevalence and correlates.

Assessed the prevalence of severe depression in 3,020 3rd–5th graders according to the risk variables of sex, age, intellectual functioning, and family income. Also investigated was a set of variables theoretically associated with the construct of childhood depression. Data were gathered by means of peer nominations, self-ratings, teachers' observations, and pupil personnel records. Data from 508 of the children's mothers were also obtained from an individually administered, precoded interview. The overall prevalence rate of depression for Ss, based on peer nominations, was 5.2%. Of the 38 variables hypothesized to be in the domain of childhood depression, 18 correlated significantly with the peer nomination measure. Ss nominated on depressive symptoms by their peers were also nominated as unhappy and unpopular. These Ss also rated themselves as depressed. (54 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Halo and performance appraisal research: A critical examination.

The different conceptual and operational definitions of halo are reviewed, and problems when using halo as a dependent measure in performance rating research and practice are pointed out. Four major points are emphasized: (1) There is no agreed on conceptual definition of halo; (2) the different conceptual definitions of halo are not systematically related to different operational definitions (i.e., measures) of halo; (3) halo measures may be poor indexes of rating quality in that different halo measures are not strongly interrelated and halo measures are not related to measures of rating validity or accuracy; and (4) although halo may be a poor measure of rating quality, it may or may not be an important measure of the rating process. The utility of assessing halo to determine the psychometric quality of rating data is questioned. Halo may be more appropriately used as a measure to study cognitive processing, rather than as a measure of performance rating outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Delay and distortion: Tacit influences on performance appraisal effectiveness.

A laboratory study of performance appraisal delay and distortion (a) investigated the effects of rater gender, performance level, and feedback requirement, and (b) defined feedback delay as the separate components of appraisal delay and feedback session scheduling delay. Subjects were 64 university business students who had at least 6 months of supervisory experience. Female raters delayed longer when conducting performance appraisals and when scheduling feedback sessions with subordinates, and more positively distorted ratings than did male raters. Moderately low performers were evaluated and scheduled for feedback sessions later, and were evaluated with more positive distortion than were moderately high performers. When required to provide feedback, raters delayed longer appraising performance and distorted ratings more positively. Significant interactions suggest that when feedback is required, female raters may delay appraisals, delay scheduling feedback sessions, and more positively distort their ratings of performance, particularly when rating low performers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measurement and assessment issues in performance appraisal.

Performance appraisal is a topic that is of both theoretical interest and practical importance. As such, it is one of the most researched topics in industrial and organisational psychology. Several measurement issues are central to performance appraisal including: (a) how performance has been measured, (b) how to improve performance appraisal ratings, (c) what is meant by performance, and (d) how the quality of ratings has been defined. Each of these are discussed along with the shortcomings of the extant literature in helping to come to grips with these important issues. Next, some of the new challenges facing performance appraisal, given its historical focus on single individuals being evaluated, are highlighted. In particular, the appraisal problems inherent in the assessment of team performance and the complexities inherent in multisource feedback systems are covered. We conclude with a short discussion of the litigious issues that can arise as a result of poor performance management practises. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peer and subordinate performance appraisal measurement equivalence.

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory (IRT) were applied to determine the extent to which peer and subordinate ratings of managers on a teambuilding skill dimension are directly comparable. Simultaneous CFA in the 2 groups of raters suggested that the 2 sets of ratings are calibrated equivalently, and polytomous IRT methods led to similar conclusions. The results were replicated in independent samples of raters. These are encouraging results for practitioners or researchers who compare ratings from these 2 groups. In addition to presenting the empirical findings from the study and illustrating how CFA and IRT methods of testing measurement equivalence compare, the article shows the unique types of information about performance appraisals that IRT and CFA can provide to researchers and practitioners, with implications for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Beyond attribution theory: Cognitive processes in performance appraisal.

Construes performance appraisal as the outcome of a dual-process system of evaluation and decision making whereby attention, categorization, recall, and information integration are carried out through either an automatic or a controlled process. In the automatic process, an employee's behavior is categorized without conscious monitoring unless the decisions involved are problematic; a consciously monitored categorization process would then occur. Subsequent recall of the employee is viewed to be biased by the attributes of prototypes (abstract images) representing categories to which the employee has been assigned. Dispositional and contextual factors influence the availability of categories during both assignment and recall. Although automatic and controlled processes can create accurate employee evaluations, categorization interacting with task type tends to affect subsequent employee information with halo, lenient/stringent, racial, sexual, ethnic, and personality biases. Behavior taxonomies, individual differences in cognitive structure, validation of behavior-sampling techniques, and laboratory studies of appraisal processes are presented as potential topics for research. (93 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prevalence and correlates of postpartum depression in first-time mothers.

Examined the prevalence and correlates of postpartum depression in a large (N?=?1,033) sample of married, primiparous, middle class mothers of full-term, healthy infants; 9.3% met modified Research Diagnostic Criteria for depression. However, 39% of the nondepressed women also reported at least 1 somatic symptom. Depressed women whose symptoms were current obtained elevated scores on the Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression scale, as did some women who did not meet depression criteria. Depressed women differed from nondepressed women on several socioeconomic status indicators and the occurrence of obstetric complications, even in this low-risk sample. These data have implications for the assessment of depression in postpartum women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role of the rater in performance appraisal.

Notes that ratings for performance appraisal are frequently made by supervisors. In the present study, judgments of effectiveness for 153 hospital nurses were obtained from the nurse herself and her peers in addition to her supervisor, using the same rating form. Factor analysis indicated that each rating source could be clearly identified and characterized. The data reaffirm the notion that interrater disagreement may reflect systematic rater bias as well as meaningful differences in the ways in which judgments are made. Implications for comprehensive appraisals are suggested. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Performance appraisal process and system facets: Relationships with contextual performance.

Because appraisal-related interactions between supervisors and employees may influence more than task performance, the authors considered the potential effects of social and interpersonal processes in performance appraisal on contextual performance. They hypothesized that performance appraisal process and system facets were associated with employees' contextual performance as well as with their perceptions of appraisal accuracy. After controlling relevant variables, they found that appraisal process facets explained variance in contextual performance and perceived accuracy beyond that accounted for by the system facets. However, when the order of entry for the process and system variable sets was reversed, only for perceived appraisal accuracy, as hypothesized, did the system facets account for variance beyond that explained by the appraisal process facets. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Category-based and feature-based processes in performance appraisal: Integrating visual and computerized sources of performance data.

Recent developments in computerized performance monitoring (CPM) raise issues about how supervisors use monitored information. On the basis of theories of person perception that distinguish between category-based and feature-based information-processing strategies, the authors examined how raters integrate performance information from 2 sources: visual and computerized. Ss received positive or negative computerized data and viewed positive or negative episodes of a secretary's performance. Visual data were most influential in determining raters' processing strategies, suggesting that raters used category-based strategies when viewing positive performance and increased their use of feature-based strategies when viewing negative performance, regardless of the evaluative implications of the computerized data. Implications for performance appraisal and CPM systems are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Job experience correlates of job performance.

Although measures of job experience are frequently-used screening devices in the selection of employees, personnel psychologists have devoted little attention to their usefulness. This article quantitatively summarizes data on the relation between job experience and job performance from a total sample of 16,058. The correlation between job experience and job performance was found to be moderated by two variables: length of experience and job complexity. The highest correlations were obtained in populations with low mean levels of job experience and for jobs that place low levels of cognitive demands on employees. Results appear to be consistent with the causal model of job performance proposed by Schmidt, Hunter, and Outerbridge (1986). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prevalence and correlates of eating disordered behaviors among undergraduate women.

Measures of weight management habits, body image, self-esteem, and degree of endorsement of sociocultural norms regarding thinness were administered to 682 undergraduate women. The 643 nonanorexic, nonobese subjects were then classified into one of six categories representing severity along an eating-behaviors continuum. The results indicated a high prevalence of both dieting and bingeing behaviors. Although only 3% were classified as bulimic, 61% were classified as having some intermediate form of eating-behavior problem. Only 33% of the subjects reported what could be considered normal eating habits. The degree of disturbed eating was strongly correlated with lowered self-esteem, more negative body image, greater tendency to endorse sociocultural beliefs regarding the desirability of female thinness, obsessive thoughts concerning weight and appearance, and interference of weight and appearance concerns with other life domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Context effects in performance appraisal: A methodological critique and empirical study.

The standard design used in research on assimilation and contrast effects in performance appraisal suffers from methodological flaws that preclude unambiguous interpretation of experimental results. This standard design is compared with two other designs that provide more appropriate tests of context effects (D. A. Kravitz and W. K. Balzer, 1990). 123 undergraduates rated a videotaped lecture of average quality after rating (1) 2 videotapes depicting good lectures, (2) 2 videotapes depicting poor lectures, or (3) no other videotapes. Half the Ss had rated the target videotape 1 wk earlier. Analyses of the standard design implied contrast effects. Analyses of the alternative designs revealed problems with the positive context manipulation, assimilation effects in the positive context, contrast effects in the negative context, and pretest effects. It is recommended that the standard design not be used. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hierarchies of scientist goal objects: Individual characteristics and performance correlates.

Analyzed the perceived importance of 9 job characteristics relevant to the job satisfaction of 72 PhD research biologists. A majority gave primary importance to personal and professional achievement factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Employee responses to formal performance appraisal feedback.

Investigated the attitudinal impacts of receiving formal performance appraisal feedback. Based on the suggestion that the feedback that one is "satisfactory" will be disconfirming for many feedback recipients, it was hypothesized that attitudes toward the performance appraisal systems and organizational commitment will decrease and remain lower for those receiving satisfactory ratings, whereas the attitudes of those receiving higher appraisal ratings will remain unchanged. The hypotheses were tested on panels of management and nonmanagement employees (the latter receiving new appraisals 12 mo after their managers) in 2 federal agencies over a 30-mo period using perceived and actual performance ratings. There was a significant and stable drop in the organizational commitment of satisfactory employees after the introduction of formal appraisals, with mixed results for attitudes toward the appraisal system. Findings suggest that potentially negative consequences of implicitly comparative formal performance appraisals can occur for those performing at a satisfactory, but not outstanding, level. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of threat in a performance appraisal interview.

Real-life appraisal interviews conducted by 92 manager-subordinate pairs were studied intensively. Reactions of subordinates were systematically obtained before and after their appraisal interviews and the proceedings in the actual interviews were carefully documented by trained Os. Measures of subsequent performance improvement realized as a result of the appraisal interviews were taken 12 wk. later. The results indicated that a manager's attempts to assist a subordinate by pointing up improvement needs were likely to be perceived by the subordinate as threatening to his self-esteem and to result in defensive behavior. The greater the threat, the less favorable the attitude toward the appraisal system and the less the subsequent constructive improvement in job performance realized. These reactions were strong to the extent that the subordinate had relatively low occupational self-esteem. Some practical implications for appraisal practices are cited. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Task-based performance appraisal for blue-collar jobs: Evaluation of race and sex effects.

Court standards for job analysis were used to develop a task-based performance appraisal instrument for use with multiple blue-collar jobs in a small plastics plant. The instrument consisted of 10 performance categories (i.e., general reasoning, written communications) that were rated in terms of importance to the job and performance. Race and sex effects in performance appraisal scores and overall performance rankings of 150 employees (of whom 62 were Black and 88 were female) in 3 jobs were analyzed with separate factorial analyses of covariance. Neither race nor sex effects were significant with the performance appraisal data. There was a significant race difference with the overall ranking data, although it accounted for only 2% of the variance. In a 2nd study, a similar instrument was used to analyze race and sex differences in performance appraisal for 233 employees (of whom 31 were female, 50 were Black, and 30 were Hispanic) in 3 job groups of a large petroleum refinery. Neither race nor sex effects were significant. Findings support the use of the task-based approach to performance appraisal. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correlates of employee reactions to performance appraisals and appraisal systems.

474 exempt employees in a research and development organization were surveyed regarding their opinions and perceptions of the appraisal process. After controlling for perceived favorability of the appraisal via multiple regression, Ss' opinions of the appraisal and appraisal system were positive to the extent they believed that (a) there was an opportunity to state their own side of the issues, (b) the factors on which they were evaluated were job relevant, and (c) objectives and plans were discussed. Contrary to predictions, reports of goal setting and discussion of plans and objectives did not moderate the relationship between perceived favorability of the appraisal and the opinions of the appraisal. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple indicators of children's reading habits and attitudes: Construct validity and cognitive correlates.

63 5th-grade children completed daily-activity diaries indicating how they spent their nonschool time for 15 days. From these diaries, estimates of the minutes per day that were spent in various activities were derived. The estimate of book-reading time from the activity diary correlated with new measures of individual differences in exposure to print that use a checklist-with-foils logic and that have very brief administration times. Both diary-estimated and checklist-estimated book reading predicted a variety of verbal outcome measures, but estimates of television watching did not. Multiple regression and factor analysis confirmed the convergent and discriminant validity of a construct argued to be best conceived of as nonschool print exposure that appears to be measured as well by the checklist tasks as by the activity-diary method. In contrast, certain types of questionnaire methods of assessing reading habits and attitudes appear to assess the extent of general positive attitudes toward reading rather than the degree of print exposure itself. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)