Identifying leadership potential in future international executives: Developing a concept.

Develops a conceptual framework for assessing international executive (IE) potential by examining the ability to learn from experience, using the published research and interviews with experienced IEs. If the skills of an IE are developed over time rather than innate, such end-state characteristics might not be present. In this context, potential is defined as the ability to take advantage of the developmental experiences that will be offered. The attributes of early identification in this framework consist of curiosity about how people and things work, accepting responsibility for learning and change, seeking and using feedback, a sense of adventure, readiness/hardiness, a bias toward action, respecting differences, and consistent growth. A framework for the early identification of IEs must have 3 components: individual attributes and skills, context, and time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Human Effects in Construction Contract Price Forecasting: Experience and Experiential Learning Styles

This paper reports on a fully structured interview survey, using a multisectional questionnaire, of experienced construction contract price forecasters. The aim of the research was to investigate the relationship between the accuracy of “early-stage” forecasts and experience (defined in terms of the forecasters' length of service as a forecaster and the number of forecasts prepared), learning styles, and approaches to learning. The results show that, although the forecasters rated experience very highly, the relationships between their ability to learn from experience, measured in terms of individual learning styles and approaches to learning, and the quality of their forecasts were found to be very different from those anticipated. No significant correlations were found between forecasting accuracy and the experience measures used, except for the approaches-to-learning dimensions labeled Risk taking, Insecurity, and Self-confidence. The results for the Insecurity and Self-confidence dimensions suggest that balanced forecasters (i.e., those who were neither insecure nor overconfident) produce more consistent forecasts. Similarly, the results for the Risk-taking dimension indicate that high-risk takers tend to underestimate whereas those who are more conservative tend to overestimate contract prices.     

Use of feedback in clinical prediction.

Describes an experiment in which 80 male undergraduate judges made predictions about the actual behavior of a target S (presented on videotape) under 4 conditions of feedback and 2 levels of experience. Feedback conditions included no feedback, outcome feedback, and 2 conditions in which judges formed explicit hypotheses about the relations between behavioral cues and the criterion behavior. Results indicate that predictive accuracy was greater when feedback was applied to the basis for the prediction than when applied to "gut" impressions. Judges forming hypotheses were also able to learn from experience. The level of experience manipulation yielded no significant results. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

对提高武钢国际市场竞争能力的研究

中国加入WTO后对武钢产生了正反两个方面的影响。为了提高武钢在国际市场的竞争力，应当注重对企业发展的战略研究和管理，通过科技创新，不断推进企业的技术进步。同时．武钢还应加强人才队伍建设，多元化经营和建立战略联盟，并利用国际惯例和法律维护企业利益。     

Freer to be me: Development of executives at midlife.

This article describes a study of 8 senior executives who participated in a rigorous executive development process that includes 360-degree feedback from colleagues and family members. The study aimed to shed light on this practice of executive development by conducting an in-depth examination of the clients' experience of the process. In addition, the study assessed the degree to which these executives showed evidence of individuation, which is the developmental task that Jung associated with mid-life. Personal interviews and the Thematic Apperception Test were the primary methods used for data collection. Findings related to gender differences are reported in the article. The study suggested that executives have the potential to benefit, personally and professionally, from participation in this kind of development, at least as they see it. Implications for practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Early mothering experience and personality change.

This study examined the context of the early mothering experience and how that experience was related to personality change in 48 members of a longitudinal sample of women from age 21 (in 1958 or 1960), before any of them were married, to age 27 (in 1963 or 1964). Early motherhood was analyzed in terms of (a) how positively the woman described her experience and (b) how willing and able she was to maintain the full-time commitment considered necessary in the early 1960s. Path analyses showed that these two dimensions had somewhat different interrelations with mother's personality, the marriage, and husband's personality and participation as a father. However, both dimensions were related to relative increase in ego-resiliency and to relative decrease in feelings of vulnerability between ages 21 and 27, even when family and work variables were taken into account. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of Postidentification Feedback on Eyewitness Identification and Nonidentification Confidence.

Two experiments investigated new dimensions of the effect of confirming feedback on eyewitness identification confidence using target-absent and target-present lineups and (previously unused) unbiased witness instructions (i.e., "offender not present" option highlighted). In Experiment 1, participants viewed a crime video and were later asked to try to identify the thief from an 8-person target-absent photo array. Feedback inflated witness confidence for both mistaken identifications and correct lineup rejections. With target-present lineups in Experiment 2, feedback inflated confidence for correct and mistaken identifications and lineup rejections. Although feedback had no influence on the confidence-accuracy correlation, it produced clear overconfidence. Confidence inflation varied with the confidence measure reference point (i.e., retrospective vs. current confidence) and identification response latency. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Considerations for Return to the Moon and Lunar Base Site Selection Workshops

The establishment of a lunar base with a permanent human presence is on the horizon. The scientific importance of the Moon and the potential use of local resources at a lunar base provide valuable concepts to consider. Importantly, there are significant ideas, concepts, and reports from the past, the products of a wealth of “mental calorie” inputs, which should be reconsidered; herein, many of these are placed within an historical perspective, in hopes that we may learn by our past experiences. The 1994 Clementine mission, its instrumentation and returned data, provides the first global coverage of the composition, structure, and topography of the Moon. The planned 1997 Lunar Prospector will add significantly to this database. These new global data are requisite for the selection of a lunar base. It is paramount to consider thoroughly the rationale for site selection, and much of the groundwork for this rationale has already been performed. The selection process should be led by a strategic purpose or vision that considers (1) scientific objectives, both on the Moon, as well as from the Moon (e.g., astronomy); (2) resource utilization; and (3) operational considerations, both orbital and surface. Many of the relationships between these factors were explored during workshops convened at Johnson Space Center by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in April and August 1990. However, these workshops have not resulted in official, catalogued NASA publications. The merits of numerous potential sites were analyzed in terms of lunar geoscience, geophysics, space physics, astronomy, and lunar resources, as well as operational constraints. The considerations and recommendations of the NASA Site Selection Committee should provide the basis for a realistic site selection for a human presence at an outpost on the lunar surface.     

Factors Affecting International Construction

A construction company’s decision to expand into international markets must be based on a good understanding of the opportunities and threats associated with international business, as well as the development of company strengths relative to international activities. These factors were evaluated in this study by surveying the executives in charge of international construction of large United States based contractors. The information was collected by means of two rounds of a Delphi survey, the results of which were used as input in an analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The findings indicate that track record, specialist expertise, project management capability are the most important company strengths; loss of key personnel, shortage of financial resources, and inflation and currency fluctuations are the most important threats relative to international markets; and increased long term profitability, the ability to maintain shareholders’ returns, and the globalization and openness of the markets are the most important opportunities available in international works. This study is of relevance to practitioners as it systematically highlights the factors that affect international construction for the benefit of executives of medium-to-large size construction companies who are considering expanding into overseas markets. It is of relevance to researchers too as it demonstrates the successful use of the combined Delphi and AHP.     

Get the picture? The effects of iconicity on toddlers' reenactment from picture books.

What do toddlers learn from everyday picture-book reading interactions? To date, there has been scant research exploring this question. In this study, the authors adapted a standard imitation procedure to examine 18- to 30-month-olds' ability to learn how to reenact a novel action sequence from a picture book. The results provide evidence that toddlers can imitate specific target actions on novel real-world objects on the basis of a picture-book interaction. Children's imitative performance after the reading interaction varied both as a function of age and the level of iconicity of the pictures in the book. These findings are discussed in terms of children's emerging symbolic capacity and the flexibility of the cognitive representation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The developmental roots of narrative expression in therapy: Contributions from attachment theory and research.

A central element in many forms of psychotherapy is the narrative articulation of client experience. From both theory, training, and practice, clinicians learn that structural aspects of client narratives may reveal important information about the client, but there is still limited research-based knowledge on this topic. This article explores and discusses the relevance of attachment theory and research to understanding structural and stylistic aspects of client narration in adult psychotherapy. Research into patterns of narrative expression identified by the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) suggests that the emotional tone and structural organization of narratives are related to patterns of information processing and affect regulation originating in experiences in attachment relationships. Attachment research thus holds the potential of linking client in-session narration to findings in developmental psychology. Clinical implications of the AAI-related research are discussed in terms of the therapeutic significance of narrative coherence and the possible meaning of different kinds of narrative incoherence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

HIV-1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes and the control of HIV-1 replication

The present study examined the effect of perceived problem-solving ability (self-identified effective and ineffective) operationalized by Heppner and Petersen's Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) and random feedback (success vs. failure) on participants' attributions. A total of 30 female and 30 male teacher trainees who had scored in the top and bottom distribution of the PSI dealt with three unexpected classroom disruptions during a lecture presentation. After their presentation, they received randomized feedback concerning their performance during disruptions. Following feedback, they completed Baumgardner's Attribution Questionnaire (AQ). Results indicated a significant PSI x Feedback interaction for ability and effort but not for task difficulty and luck. Perceived efficacious problem solvers' internal attributions depended on whether they received success or failure feedback. Similar to the self-enhancing tendency reported in the literature, this group attributed success versus failure more to ability and effort. The perceived ineffective problem solvers' attributions did not differ based on the feedback they received. Results are discussed in terms of prior research and theory.     

A longitudinal study of the moderating role of extraversion: Leader-member exchange, performance, and turnover during new executive development.

Identifying factors that help or hinder new executives in "getting up to speed" quickly and remaining with an organization is vital to maximizing the effectiveness of executive development. The current study extends past research by examining extraversion as a moderator of relationships between leader-member exchange (LMX) and performance, turnover intentions, and actual turnover for an executive sample. The sample consisted of 116 new executives who were surveyed prior to starting their employment and at 3 months postentry. A total of 67 senior executives rated these new executives in terms of overall performance at 6 months postentry. Turnover data were gathered from company records 3 1/2 years later. Hierarchical regression results showed that LMX was not related to performance or turnover intentions for those high in extraversion; but for individuals low in extraversion, there was a relation between LMX, performance, and turnover intentions. Furthermore, survival analyses showed that LMX was only related to turnover-hazard rate for individuals low in extraversion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Scanning the horizon for emerging health technologies. Conclusions from a European Workshop

To share the existing, albeit limited, experience among nations and to explore the feasibility of international collaboration on the identification and early evaluation of health care technologies, an workshop was arranged in September 1997. Twenty-seven policy makers and researchers from twelve countries attended the meeting and concluded that: the policy environment in most European countries is characterized by insufficient data on safety, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of health care innovations; that an early warning system is perceived as an essential mechanism for facilitating communication among policy makers, technology experts, and health professionals; and that collaboration on early warning activities might be even more useful than traditional collaboration in health technology assessment.     

Donald G. Forgays (1926–1993): Obituary.

Memorializes D. G. Forgays, who earned an international reputation for his pioneering research on early environmental influence on psychological and physiological functioning. Forgays worked in a range of areas that included the psychophysiology of sensory deprivation and personality dimensions of addictive behaviors. Most of his projects involved cross-cultural data collection and collaboration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Behavior in Construction Executives

The study documented in this paper builds upon the concept of multiple intelligences by examining the need for a greater concept of intelligence within the construction profession. Specifically, the paper documents the study of 130 construction executives for their emotional intelligence (EI) as measured by their emotional quotient. In this study, the writers analyze the relationship between EI and leadership behaviors, specifically examining the relationship between EI and transformational leadership behaviors. The paper outlines the strengths and weaknesses found in executives in relation to developing transformational leadership behaviors. Through the use of established testing procedures, the researchers identify five specific components of EI that are related to transformational leadership behavior at a convincing level of statistical significance. Of particular importance is the identification of interpersonal skills and empathy as key EI behaviors that need additional attention during the development of construction industry executives. The writers contend that these traits are as important as classical traits of intelligence and experience in developing the leaders of tomorrow’s construction organizations.     

A note on the criterion.

The concept of the criterion in much applied research has implied the possibility of identifying a single, ultimate measure against which predictors should be correlated. It is argued that the criterion has been overemphasized with the result that complexities of predicting the many facets of job success have been ignored in favor of overly simplified studies designed to relate predictors to single measures of job success. Applied psychologists should give more emphasis to construct validation and make an effort to learn more about the meaning of test scores and other predictors in terms of multiple dimensions of behavior. Information available on the Engineering Research Key of the Strong Vocational Interest Blank is presented in order to illustrate the pattern of validation research recommended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Concessionaire Selection: Methods and Criteria

Various innovative public private partnerships (PPPs) have been explored in worldwide infrastructure development in which BOT (build-operate-transfer) is the underlying concept. Selection of the right concessionaire, which is critical to the success of such BOT-type PPPs, depends on the quality of identifying and defining suitable project-specific criteria and the quality of formulating an efficient tender evaluation methodology. A systematic research approach (including literature review, case studies, interview/correspondence, and a structured questionnaire survey) has been adopted to draw experience and learn lessons from international PPP practices and to unearth and refine experiential and expert knowledge from worldwide experts and practitioners. Tender evaluation criteria and methods currently used in diverse types of PPP projects in both developed and developing countries are identified, compared, analyzed, and then generalized.     

Influences Impacting Leadership Development

The construction industry is placing increased emphasis on developing leadership skills for project managers. This paper describes a research project that was executed to analyze the causal influences on the development of project managers, whom the authors believe also must be leaders. The research compared two groups of project managers within a large construction company. One group was top performing construction managers as selected by corporate executives, while the second group was a randomly selected control group. The research examined influences on career development including job experience, project management experience, formal project management training, formal leadership training, and job assignments. The research also solicited opinions from both groups as to what they perceived as factors impacting leadership career development. Statistical differences between the groups were found in the areas of project management experience and number of positions held prior to the first project management assignment. Both groups believed there was more of a need within their company for leadership training than for project management training.