Understanding Self-Report Bias in Organizational Behavior Research

Self-report and mono-method bias often threaten the validity of research conducted in business settings and thus hinder the development of theories of organizational behavior. This paper outlines a conceptual framework for understanding factors that influence the motivation of an employee to bias his or her responses to questions posed by organizational researchers. Using a longitudinal, multitrait-multimethod dataset, we illustrate various aspects of the problem and argue that traditional approaches for controlling self-report bias do not adequately prevent the problem. The results suggest the need for developing a theory of method effects and companion analytic techniques to improve the accuracy of psychological research in business settings.     

犯罪行为决策的理论与研究方法

犯罪行为是犯罪人决策的结果。犯罪行为决策研究旨在通过运用认知心理学的有关原理,说明犯罪行为实施之前的行为决策过程及影响因素,其成果能为国家制定刑事政策与犯罪预防政策等提供理论依据。犯罪行为决策的理论模型主要可分为犯罪理性模型、犯罪期望效用模型和犯罪前景理论模型。犯罪行为决策的研究方法主要采用心理物理法、过程追踪法、访谈法、投射测验法和犯罪统计法等。展望未来,应进一步探讨犯罪行为决策的理性与非理性问题,并加强对犯罪行为决策的验证性研究。     

共同方法变异是“致命瘟疫”吗?——论争、新知与应对

共同方法变异是由构念间相似的测量方法特征引起的系统变异, 可歪曲构念间的关系, 造成共同方法偏差。60年来, 这一问题在社会科学研究中被反复提及, 但它是否严重威胁研究效度尚无定论。虽然实证证据表明, 共同方法变异普遍存在, 数据来源、测量时间、问卷设计等因素可导致共同方法偏差, 使自我报告的横断式调查研究饱受质疑, 但部分学者从测量误差和非共同方法变异的制约作用等角度做出了回应和辩护, 认为无需过度担忧。以测量为中心的新视角强调共同方法变异是测量方法和被测构念交互作用的产物, 应从方法和构念两个维度评估共同方法变异风险。建议研究者树立均衡无偏的态度, 接纳共同方法变异的存在, 纠正对自我报告的偏见, 着重通过改进研究设计做好预先应对。     

What <Emphasis Type="Italic">is</Emphasis> wrong with intelligent design?

While a great deal of abuse has been directed at intelligent design theory (ID), its starting point is a fact about biological organisms that cries out for explanation, namely “specified complexity” (SC). Advocates of ID deploy three kind of argument from specified complexity to the existence of a designer: an eliminative argument, an inductive argument, and an inference to the best explanation. Only the first of these merits the abuse directed at it; the other two arguments are worthy of respect. If they fail, it is only because we have a better explanation of SC, namely Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.     

Changing views: the effect of explicit perception-focus instructions on perspective-taking

In two experiments, we examined whether explicit attention to another’s perspective fosters perspective-taking. In the first experiment, we attempted to replicate previous findings showing that a mind-set focusing on self-other differences incites speakers to adopt another’s viewpoint in a subsequent task. However, our results showed that speakers focusing on self-other differences were just as likely to describe an object’s location from their egocentric perspective as speakers focusing on self-other similarities. In the second experiment, we intensified speakers’ awareness of perspectives by explicitly instructing them to regard their own (self-focus) or another’s (other-focus) viewpoint during the perspective-taking task. Participants allocated to the baseline did not receive explicit focus instructions. Findings revealed that other-focused speakers were more likely to adopt another’s perspective than self-focused speakers. However, compared to the baseline, an explicit other-focus did not foster perspective-taking. We conclude that an explicit awareness of perspective differences does not attenuate speakers’ egocentricity bias.     

Running in Circles about Begging the Question

In a published exchange, Richard Robinson and Roy A. Sorenson debate the matter of whether begging the question is a fallacy; Robinson thinks it is not, but Sorenson argues that it is. Norman Ten attempts to resolve this debate by making a distinction between begging the question and fallaciously begging the question. While Teng is right to note that Robinson and Sorenson are talking past each other, he incorrectly diagnoses the source of this miscommunication. In this paper, then, I offer what I take to be a more illuminating distinction 3; viz. that between logical and rhetorical fallacies 3; and employ that distinction to resolve the debate.     

The Mmogo-Method™: Discovering Symbolic Community Interactions

In this article the development and implementation of the Mmogo-Method? is discussed as a culture-sensitive data collection method. The Mmogo-Method? provides opportunities for social researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural symbolism in which social life is embedded and that informs experiences, perceptions and behaviour. In this method, people create their own data by making visual presentations that reflect contextually grounded symbolic meanings. Theoretical underpinnings of social constructionism, symbolic interactionism and community psychology are discussed and applied as the rationale for the development and implementation of the Mmogo-Method?. Examples of research using the Mmogo-Method? are provided to illustrate its value and various different application possibilities. The Mmogo-Method? attempts to produce community-based knowledge that is gathered and disseminated in a coherent way; thereby contributing to the possibility that indigenous knowledge may form part of national and international discussions.     

Role of Hindsight Bias,Ethics, and Self-Other Judgments in Students’ Evaluation of an Animal Experiment

Does hindsight knowledge make research seem more ethical and predictable? In line with the notion of hindsight bias, students in 3 experiments knowing the outcome of an animal experiment judged the results as more foreseeable and ethical relative to students who did not know the outcome. Via self to other comparisons, students evaluate themselves more favorably compared to a peer but exhibited hindsight bias in doing so. Uniquely, the findings reveal the possibility that students deem themselves to be more skeptical and objective than their peers. Implications for teaching animal ethics and for Institutional Review Boards are discussed.     

感动的心理学解析:情感属性与诱发机制*

感动是一种由外部刺激引发的非自主性、即时产生的情感状态,通常由强烈的事件触发。感动体验包括寒战、流泪和内心温暖等一系列主观感受,背后可能涉及交感神经系统与副交感神经系统的交替激活。目前,研究者主要从公共共享关系的增强、依恋情感的作用以及核心价值观的凸显三个方面阐释感动的产生。未来研究可进一步探讨感动情感的生成机制,提供更直接的实证证据,并关注其文化差异及其在个人成长与社会治理中的应用。     

理性观视野中的人类合作行为*

以往关于人类合作行为的研究多集中在人性假设和人们是否愿意合作的问题上,对理性假设和人们能否合作的问题关注较少。在全面回顾和分析历史上理性和非理性合作行为理论基础上,文章提出了有限理性合作观,认为合作是一种有限理性的社会决策过程,其本质是理解和处理自我-他人（包括集体和社会）之间的利害关系。基于此种观点,论证了以下三个论断:（1）合作决策是基于有限理性的启发式过程;（2）心智成本最小化是合作决策的重要目标之一;（3）合作决策是一个平衡利益和心智成本的有限认知过程。该观点刻画了人类合作行为的真实图景,不仅对于更好地理解人类合作行为本质具有重要理论意义,而且对于破解现实生活中的合作困境具有实践指导价值。