Increased theft as a side effect of sales promotion activities: An exploratory study

A combination of commonly used promotional activities, i.e., advertising, price reductions and increased exposure, was associated with increased thefts of six candy products. Thefts increased for each of the six products during the period the combination of promotional activities was used. Large increases in sales were observed for only two of the products. Sales of the other four products increased marginally or decreased in conjunction with promotional activities. When compared to normal sales conditions, the period of promotional activities produced less net profit per week for five of the six products. The results are of interest to retailers since they indicate that promotional activities for some products may produce a negative side effect, namely, increased theft. Further, promotional activities may not always produce increased sales.     

Trauma event autobiographies: An exploratory multiple case study

This multiple case study explored trauma event memories of three individuals to characterise underlying meanings important for their recovery. The three participants were women in the age range of 43 to 54 years old, who shared their own memories of a trauma-laden event four to five years post-occurrence. Thematic analysis of the autobiographical narratives indicated underlying memories across cases of silence imposed on trauma victims by their social environments and communities. Differences in trauma autobiographical memories were in meaning making within the context of the participants’ own culture, society, and community. Autobiographical memory studies appear to have value for understanding likely pathways to recovery from trauma     

The role of positive psychology constructs in predicting life satisfaction in adolescents with and without cognitive disabilities: An exploratory study

Positive psychology has begun to foster change in the study of adolescence by directing increased attention to the importance of building on adolescents’ strengths and abilities as a means to promote positive outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore the associations between hope, optimism, locus of control, self-determination, and life satisfaction in adolescents with and without cognitive disabilities using structural equation modeling. The results demonstrated comparability in the measurement of each of these constructs in adolescents with and without disabilities. Hope, optimism, locus of control, and self-determination were strongly correlated, and hope and optimism predicted life satisfaction in adolescents with and without cognitive disabilities. The implications of the findings for future research are discussed.     

Factors influencing work readiness of graduates: An exploratory study

This study aimed to determine the factors that influenced the work readiness of graduate and post-graduate social sciences students. An ex post facto design study was undertaken with 183 participant students from Makerere University, Uganda (n=73) and the University of Venda, South Africa (n=110) (females=58%; age range 20–40 years). They completed the Genos Emotional Intelligence (EI) Inventory, a Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-24), an Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ) as well as a Work Readiness Scale (WRS). Regression analyses were conducted to predict work readiness, with emotional intelligence (EI), psychological capital (PsyCap) and sense of coherence (SOC). Results revealed EI and PsyCap to strongly predict work readiness.     

认知负荷理论在临床诊疗中的应用探讨

认知负荷理论是近年来迅速发展起来的用于解释认知资源分配的心理学理论。临床诊疗工作本质上是医生对患者的病情信息认知加工并进行决策的过程。医生的认知负荷情况决定着医生认知加工的效率,认知加工效率决定了医生的工作效率。提高医生的认知加工效率可以通过对诊疗任务分配的调整,使诊疗任务产生的内在认知负荷与医生所能承受的认知负荷相适应,减少外在认知负荷,增加相关认知负荷三个方面来实现,从而可以提高诊疗的质量和效率,引导医生认知资源的合理分配。     

Personality as a predictor of driving performance: An exploratory study

Objective

To examine the role of psychological type in older driver performance.

Methods

A convenience sample of 50 older adults was prospectively enrolled in the study. Each completed a demographic profile, the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) Step III™ instrument, a self-reported Safe Driving Behaviors Measure (SDBM), clinical tests and a standardized on-road driving evaluation yielding a fail/pass determination and Sum of Maneuvers Score (SMS).

Results

Participants (M age = 72.96, SD = 4.78) who had Extraversion and Judging preferences were better drivers than those with Introversion or Perceiving preferences. Those with Sensing vs. Intuition preferences rated themselves better on the SDBM (S = 317.62, N = 305.33; t(48) = 2.19, p = .03). Those with Introvert preferences failed the on-road course with sensitivity = .714, specificity = .767, area under the curve = .76, p = .03.

Conclusion

Our findings provide the basis for further research investigating personality and driving. Specifically, if the main findings are consistent in a representative sample of older drivers, personality testing may be added to a driving assessment battery. Future research must build on these findings to more clearly identify the risk associated with psychological type and examine how personality profiles can be used to keep older drivers on the road longer and more safely.     

Caring for children with an intellectual disability: An exploratory qualitative study

This study explored family caregiver experiences of children with an intellectual disability in a rural South African day-care centre. The family caregivers (N = 15; mothers = 60%; age range = 35 to 68 years) completed in-depth interviews regarding their experiences providing care to children with intellectual disability. Data collection and analysis was done using phenomenological methods. The following themes emerged to characterise the family caregiver experiences: deeper understanding of intellectual disability; disability disclosure conditions; and social and economic support needs. Family support emerged as an important factor in the relationship between caregivers’ psychological stress and well-being.     

Moderators of Candidate Name‐Order Effects in Elections: An Experiment

Past studies of elections have shown that candidates whose names were listed at the beginning of a list on a ballot often received more votes by virtue of their position. This article tests speculations about the cognitive mechanisms that might be responsible for producing the effect. In an experiment embedded in a large national Internet survey, participants read about the issue positions of two hypothetical candidates and voted for one of them in a simulated election in which candidate name order was varied. The expected effect of position appeared and was strongest (1) when participants had less information about the candidates on which to base their choices, (2) when participants felt more ambivalent about their choices, (3) among participants with more limited cognitive skills, and (4) among participants who devoted less effort to the candidate evaluation process. The name‐order effect was greater among left‐handed people when the candidate names were arrayed horizontally, but there was no difference between left‐ and right‐handed people when the names were arrayed vertically. These results reinforce some broad theoretical accounts of the cognitive process that yield name‐order effects in elections.     

Emotional intelligence influences on the work performance of early career academics: An exploratory study

We aimed to investigate emotional intelligence (EI) influences on the work performance of early career academic (ECA) staff. Participants were 220 early career academic staff at a rural South African university (female = 56.8%, 77.7% aged between 20 and 40 years, black = 89.1%). They completed an emotional intelligence scale as well as a measure of work performance. Results, following structural equation modelling, indicated that perception and regulation of emotion aspects of EI to significantly, positively influence the ECA’s job, interpersonal, non-organisational and hierarchical success. ECA staff high on EI perceived to relate better with others, and to be proactive in their adaptive behaviours when change manifests. The ways in which ECA staff appraise and respond to emotionally charged workplace communication appear to influence their likelihood to succeed in the work adjustment.     

Coworker attributes as potential correlates to the perceptions of older workers' job performance: An exploratory study

This study examined coworker attributes as potential correlates to the perceptions of older workers' job performance. It was found that increased education, more positive attitudes toward retirement, and experience working with older workers might lead to more positive perceptions of older workers' job performance.     

Stress and coping among student teachers at a South African university: An exploratory study

This article reports findings from an exploratory qualitative study on the lived experience of stress among a convenience sample of 14 South African university student teachers (female = 8, black = 7; age range = 22 to 31). The students were participating in training in mindfulness meditation, and completed three interviews over a six-week period on stressors impacting on their personal and professional lives and on how they experienced them and responded. There were additional data from recordings of the mindfulness training sessions and a self-report scale, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS). Thematic analysis revealed a wide range of stressors experienced by the students and provided insight into sources of resilience in dealing with them. In conclusion, the authors consider whether the extreme experiences of stress foreshadow the discontent among South African students that would fuel the serious unrest and disruption that has been negatively affecting South African universities since.     

心理理论研究三十年：回顾与反思

自Premack和Woodruff于1978年提出心理理论至今,心理理论研究已走过了30年的历程。当前心理理论研究已经成为发展心理学、心灵哲学、认知科学所关注的热门课题。文章回顾了心理理论研究的缘起和概念、内容与基本范式、问题与困境,在此基础上反思了心理理论研究困境与解释模型的关系,并对该领域未来研究方向做了展望。     

不同类型问题的关键信息表征及其认知加工研究

目的:研究关键信息表征在不同类型问题解决中的作用;方法:本研究使用五种不同类型问题作为实验材料对75名文理科大学生进行问题解决研究,并采用回归统计分析了关键信息、过程策略、信息处理方式三个解题要素对正确解答的效应;结果:(1)关键信息对正确解答作用显著,关键信息表征对正确解题有较好的预测作用;(2)关键信息在不同类型问题解决中的作用有所不同;(3)过程策略对正确解答效应显著。     

任务设置影响负相容效应的机制——自上而下认知控制对阈下启动信息加工的影响

结合掩蔽启动范式和Go-Nogo范式,考察了任务设置影响负相容效应的机制。实验中以指向左或右的双箭头为掩蔽启动项,在两个Block中的Go试次中分别以箭头和汉字为目标项,要求被试对箭头或汉字做辨别反应,Nogo试次中不呈现目标项,被试无需反应。结果发现:Go试次中,只有在箭头任务设置下才出现负相容效应,脑电结果表现为一致条件下P3潜伏期显著长于不一致条件;Nogo试次中,箭头任务设置下的P3波幅显著大于汉字任务设置下的P3波幅。说明负相容效应受到任务设置这种自上而下认知控制过程的影响,且这种影响发生在阈下启动信息加工阶段。支持注意敏化模型,提示可以在更普遍的角度上理解负相容效应。     

Psychotherapeutic Interventions for Symptom Reduction in Veterans With PTSD: An Observational Study in a Residential Clinical Setting

Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy were compared for veterans in a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) residential program (N = 51) who received individual EMDR and group CPT, individual CPT and group CPT, or trauma group exposure (TGE) therapy. Analyses revealed an overall significant difference on posttest measures of the PTSD Checklist for individual EMDR/group CPT and individual CPT/group CPT when compared to TGE, with no significant difference found between EMDR and CPT. Depression scores were significantly decreased between pre- and posttest for patients who received individual EMDR/group CPT. Results support EMDR and CPT as clinically effective and complementary treatments in residential PTSD treatment programs.     

Perceptions of the utility of personality assessment for personnel selection in the South African context: An exploratory study

This study explored South African industrial psychologists’ perceptions of the utility of personality assessment for personnel selection. Eleven industrial psychologists (2 male, 9 female) from the Johannesburg area, South Africa were the participants. They participated in semi-structured interviews exploring their understanding of the place of personality assessment in personnel selection within organisational settings in South Africa and the common practices employed. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Four dominant themes emerged from the data: person-environment fit; specific uses of personality tests; commonly used tests and validity and ethical concerns. Based on the findings, personality assessment use in South African industry settings appears multi-layered and consistently evolving.