Comparing victim attributions and outcomes for workplace aggression and sexual harassment.

In 2 studies, we investigated victim attributions (Study 1) and outcomes (Study 2) for workplace aggression and sexual harassment. Drawing on social categorization theory, we argue that victims of workplace aggression and sexual harassment may make different attributions about their mistreatment. In Study 1, we investigated victim attributions in an experimental study. We hypothesized that victims of sexual harassment are more likely than victims of workplace aggression to depersonalize their mistreatment and attribute blame to the perpetrator or the perpetrator's attitudes toward their gender. In contrast, victims of workplace aggression are more likely than victims of sexual harassment to personalize the mistreatment and make internal attributions. Results supported our hypotheses. On the basis of differential attributions for these 2 types of mistreatment, we argue that victims of workplace aggression may experience stronger adverse outcomes than victims of sexual harassment. In Study 2, we compared meta-analytically the attitudinal, behavioral, and health outcomes of workplace aggression and sexual harassment. Negative outcomes of workplace aggression were stronger in magnitude than those of sexual harassment for 6 of the 8 outcome variables. Implications and future directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of techniques for chromium sesquioxide analysis in marker studies

Titrimetric, atomic absorption and plasma emission spectrometry methods are compared in the estimation of chromium from an alkaline fusion solubilisation of chromium sesquioxide (Cr₂O₃) digestibility marker in rat faeces. Considerable differences in the between-batch precision for the methods were noted. The ferrous ammonium sulphate titration showed the least imprecision (0.67% RSD) compared with 2.1% RSD for the inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry and 4.7% RSD and 5% RSD for the atomic absorption methods of the nitrous oxide-acetylene and air-acetylene flames respectively. The atomic absorption methods were found to be highly sensitive to interferents, chromium oxidation state and changes in flame chemistry with respect to operating conditions.     

Radiochemical Decomposition of lactosyl-6-[3H]-ceramide

Galactosyl-6-[³H] glucosyl ceramide was prepared by the sequential action of galactose oxidase and sodium borohydride-[³H] reduction. A water-soluble radioactive contaiminant appeared after a 2 month storage at −4 C. This was identified as lactose-[³H] by both chromatographic and carrier dilution techniques.     

"Consciousness and the voices of the mind": Response to the discussants.

In planning the McMaster University Brain and Behaviour Research Programme's 1983 Bauer lecture, it was deemed that a topic in the area of cognitive neuroscience might be suitable, preferably one of a general nature that would be of interest to several disciplines. Consciousness, one of the most perplexing of human issues, requires that we question how the living material of the human brain results in the subjective awareness humankind experiences. Julian Jaynes was asked to present the lecture, which was entitled "Consciousness and the voices of the mind" (see record 2007-08986-001). In this article, Jaynes responds to comments on his lecture by Daniel Dennett (see record 2007-09336-002), Jonathan Miller (see record 2007-09336-003), and George Ojemann (see record 2007-09336-004). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Computation of Mean Time to Failure for a System with Simple Redundancy

A system consisting of several independent components in series can be made more reliable by adding an "identical" component in parallel to some of the components. Two mathematical series are presented for computing the mean time to failure for the system when the failure times of the components are exponentially distributed. For large systems the evaluation of these series is not computationally feasible, but one of the series yields an accurate approximation if the series is truncated, and also yields an explicit solution if all components have identical failure rates. The explicit solution is then used to check the accuracy of solutions obtained using numerical integration. The method of numerical integration is highly accurate.     

Lie detection in ancient and modern times: A call for contemporary scientific study.

Notes that psychologists have neglected investigating polygraphic lie detection, a technique that is seen as clearly within their purview. It is basically a psychological test, although with questionable psychometric merit, that assumes that liars are aware of their lying, which in turn causes measurable emotional reactions. This simplistic assumption was not always shared by the ancients, but it now has widespread contemporary acceptance. The polygraphic technique based on this assumption yields unacceptably high error rates that have had ruinous effects on the lives of many misclassified truthful persons. It is argued that a recent executive order to use lie detection to ensure national security, if left unchallenged by informed psychological opinion based on sound scientific research, opens the door even wider for further misuses of a psychological tool. (60 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consciousness and the voices of the mind.

Few problems have had as interesting an intellectual trajectory through history as that of the mind and its place in nature. Before 1859, the year that Darwin and Wallace independently proposed natural selection as the basis of evolution, this issue was known as the mind/body problem with its various and sometimes ponderous solutions. But after that pivotal date, it came to be known as the problem of consciousness and its origin in evolution. Now the first thing I wish to stress this afternoon is this problem. It is easy for the average layman to understand. But paradoxically, for philosophers, psychologists, and neurophysiologists, who have been so used to a different kind of thinking, it is a difficult thing. What we have to explain is the contrast, so obvious to a child, between all the inner covert world of imaginings and memories and thoughts and the external public world around us. The theory of evolution beautifully explains the anatomy of species, but how out of mere matter, mere molecules, mutations, anatomies, can you get this rich inner experience that is always accompanying us during the day and in our dreams at night? That is the problem we will consider in this symposium. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work stressors and wife abuse.

To assess whether work experiences and stressors are associated with wife abuse (WA), 18 maritally satisfied, 12 dissatisfied/nonabusive, and 18 dissatisfied/abusive husbands (mean age 35.3 yrs) completed work involvement, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and work stress questionnaires (yielding occurrence, positive, and negative impact indices). Multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed that overall work experiences were significantly associated with WA. Univariate analyses of variance (ANOVAs) showed that only the occurrence of stressful work events and their negative impact were significantly associated with WA. Conceptual and methodological implications concerning the association between work stress and WA are suggested, and the needs for a true causal analyses on the effects of work stressors on WA and for a focus on personality and situational variables enhancing or reducing the likelihood of spouse abuse are emphasized. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)