Why and when does job satisfaction promote unethical pro‐organizational behaviours? Testing a moderated mediation model

This study examined the relationship between job satisfaction and unethical pro‐organizational behaviours (UPB) by testing a moderated mediation model that focused on how employees' belongingness mediates the relationship between job satisfaction and UPB and how corporate ethical values moderate this mediated relationship. Our investigation included 369 employees from different organizations in Southeast China. The regression analysis revealed that job satisfaction positively influences UPB through belongingness. In addition, a moderated regression analysis indicated that low corporate ethical values strengthen not only the effect of belongingness on UPB but also the indirect effect of job satisfaction on UPB. These findings deepen our understanding of UPB by showing that individuals with a high level of job satisfaction are more likely to engage in UPB through belongingness when corporate ethical values are low. Finally, the theoretical and managerial implications of these results are discussed.     

Does power corrupt or enable? When and why power facilitates self-interested behavior

Does power corrupt a moral identity, or does it enable a moral identity to emerge? Drawing from the power literature, we propose that the psychological experience of power, although often associated with promoting self-interest, is associated with greater self-interest only in the presence of a weak moral identity. Furthermore, we propose that the psychological experience of power is associated with less self-interest in the presence of a strong moral identity. Across a field survey of working adults and in a lab experiment, individuals with a strong moral identity were less likely to act in self-interest, yet individuals with a weak moral identity were more likely to act in self-interest, when subjectively experiencing power. Finally, we predict and demonstrate an explanatory mechanism behind this effect: The psychological experience of power enhances moral awareness among those with a strong moral identity, yet decreases the moral awareness among those with a weak moral identity. In turn, individuals' moral awareness affects how they behave in relation to their self-interest.     

Testing Shneidman’s model of suicidality in incarcerated offenders and in undergraduates

Suicidality constitutes a major health issue for society in general and incarcerated populations in particular. Shneidman’s model of suicide proposes that psychache (i.e., intense psychological pain) is the pre-eminent psychological cause of suicidality and mediates the influence of all other psychological correlates such as depression or hopelessness. The current research evaluates Shneidman’s model for samples of 73 male federal offenders, 80 male undergraduates, and 80 female undergraduates. Consistent with Shneidman’s theory, psychache was both a significant and a more important statistical predictor of reported self-harming ideation and action than was either depression or hopelessness. Further, this relatively greater importance of psychache for the statistical prediction of suicidality was not moderated either by offender status or by sex. Overall, findings support the applicability of Shneidman’s model of suicidality to incarcerated individuals and indicate the model’s generalizability across sex and offender status.     

When does self-reported prosocial motivation predict helping? The moderating role of implicit prosocial motivation

In three studies, we tested a motivational model to predict different types of helping from an interactionist, dual-system perspective. We argued that helping behavior is determined by the interplay of two distinct motivational systems: the explicit (i.e., conscious) and the implicit (i.e., unconscious). In line with previous research we expected that explicit prosocial motivation relates to helping, and additionally proposed that depending on the type of helping this relationship is moderated by implicit prosocial motivation: For planned helping, explicit prosocial motivation is a sufficient predictor, regardless of implicit prosocial motivation. For spontaneous helping, on the other hand, the effect of explicit prosocial motivation is moderated by implicit prosocial motivation, and only predictive when also implicit prosocial motivation is high. Study 1 (207 Dutch participants, M _age  = 51.7 years; 51.7 % female) with self-reported willingness to help as dependent variable confirmed that planned helping was determined by explicit prosocial motivation, whereas its effect on spontaneous helping was moderated by implicit prosocial motivation. Study 2 (193 U.S. participants, M _age  = 35.2 years; 64.2 % female) with real-life measures of planned help confirmed the hypothesized main effect of explicit prosocial motivation. Study 3 (73 Dutch participants, M _age  = 20.8 years; 68.5 % female) with a real-life measure of spontaneous helping confirmed the moderating role of implicit prosocial motivation, as the effect of explicit prosocial motivation on helping was only significant for individuals with high implicit prosocial motivation. We argue that considering implicit prosocial motivation provides an overlooked avenue for a more systematic investigation of helping.     

When does power trigger approach motivation? Threats and the role of perceived control in the power domain

It is widely believed that power activates the behavioral approach system (Guinote, 2017 ; Keltner, Gruenfeld, & Anderson, 2003 ); however, findings are inconsistent. Here we discuss evidence suggesting that perceived threats to control in the power domain are key determinants of the association between power and approach motivation. We propose that objective or subjective threats to the exercise of power trigger behavioral inhibition, conflicts between approach and behavioral inhibition, and reactive, negatively valenced approach motivation. Furthermore, threatened power holders reassert power—in particular by using coercion—as defense against threat. We discuss literature in support of these hypotheses involving external threats (e.g., instability, illegitimacy, and uncertainty) and subjective states (anxiety, motivation to maintain power, perceived incompetence, submissiveness, and perceptions of low power) that trigger the perception of lack of control in the power domain and undermine the positive tone of power holders' approach motivation.     

Effects of workaholism on volunteer firefighters’ performance: a moderated mediation model including supervisor recognition and emotional exhaustion

ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives: Although workaholism has been associated with job performance, the mechanisms that explain this relationship remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the conditional indirect effects of workaholism on performance via emotional exhaustion, across low and high levels of supervisor recognition.

Methods: We conducted an empirical cross-sectional study using a sample of 1028 volunteer firefighters who completed a self-report questionnaire assessing workaholism, emotional exhaustion, work performance, and supervisor recognition.

Results: Tests of latent interactions were performed using the latent moderated structural equation modeling approach. Consistent with our predictions, results revealed that the negative indirect effects of workaholism on performance, through emotional exhaustion, were stronger when supervisor recognition was low.

Conclusions: Theorical contributions and perspectives, as well as implications for practice are discussed.     

When does a different environmental context make a difference in recognition? A global activation model

The effects on recognition of changes in environmental context between learning and test are examined. A context effect occurs when memory tests that take place in an environmental context that is different from the learning context produce consistent differences in performance. A formal model of context-dependent recognition within a global activation framework is presented. The model generates the predictions that (1) context effects will be present when items are tested in a new context that was not seen during learning and (2) context effects will be absent or very small when items are tested in a context that was experienced during learning but that differs from the context in which the test item was learned. Both predictions were verified in an experiment that varied the nature of the different-context test within subjects. Implications for research concerned with context-dependent recognition are discussed.     

When and why is helping others good for well‐being? The role of belief in reciprocity and conformity to society's expectations

This research investigates the relation between informal help and subjective well‐being and its underlying mechanisms using a cross‐national perspective. We focus on two potential mechanisms derived from the self‐determination theory and conformity to the social norms literature. From the standpoint of self‐determination theory, helping others is good for well‐being if it is intrinsically motivated, rather than driven by the expectation of reciprocity. On the other hand, from the perspective of the conformity literature, helping others is associated with a higher well‐being when it is linked to the benefits of social conformity, such as social approval. We tested these hypotheses using the data from a total of 23 countries. The results provided support for both mechanisms. First, we found that the lower individuals' beliefs in reciprocity are, the stronger is the positive effect of self‐reported helping behavior on their well‐being. Second, helping behavior was more strongly related to life satisfaction in countries where providing help represents a strong social norm (measured with two different cultural indicators). We conclude that both individual‐ and culture‐level mechanisms account for the relation between prosocial behavior and well‐being. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Day-level transformational leadership and followers’ daily level of stress: a moderated mediation model of team cooperation,role conflict,and type of communication

This study contributes to the literature on leadership by linking day-level transformational leadership behaviour with employees’ daily level of stress. A first-stage moderated mediation framework consisting of team cooperation, role conflict, and type of daily communication is introduced to specify how and when leaders’ transformational behaviour is related to followers’ daily stress. Two hundred five participants took part in a diary study over five consecutive working days and provided information on their leaders’ transformational behaviour, team cooperation, role conflict, type of communication with supervisors, as well as information on their daily level of stress. Results show that transformational leader behaviour is significantly related to followers’ level of stress on a day-to-day basis. This relationship is mediated by team cooperation, but not by role conflict. The type of communication moderates this mediation framework. If only indirect means of communication are used, the negative indirect relation between transformational leader behaviour via team cooperation on daily stress is strengthened. The results are discussed in the context of leadership literature, and the implications for future research as well as practice are presented.     

When do low‐power customers complain? The joint effects of chronic sense of personal power and complaint success on complaining intentions

In the customer complaint literature, researchers have found that the lack of an incidental sense of power is one of the reasons why customers do not complain. However, two issues are left unanswered: does a chronic sense of power influence consumer complaining behavior, and how individuals who feel chronically powerless can be encouraged to complain when dissatisfied. The present study is intended to address this topic. Drawing on the approach–inhibition theory of power, we argue that the probability of complaint success increases the complaint behavior of customers with a low chronic sense of power, thereby mitigating the differences in the complaint behavior of consumers with low and high power. The three studies indicated that a low chronic power was negatively associated with complaining intentions and that this association was mitigated by the perceived success of complaining.     

Knowledge about the distribution of information and group decision making: When and why does it work?

Research has shown that decision-making groups with distributed information perform better when group members know which member is knowledgeable about what. Thus far research has been unable to identify the process responsible for this effect. In the present study, we propose that group members’ task representations mediate the effect of knowledge about the distribution of information on decision performance. Building on this proposition, we also propose that reflection about the task moderates the effect of knowledge about distributed information through its effect on task representations. These hypotheses were put to the test in an experimental study of decision-making groups (N = 125). As predicted, knowledge of distributed information interacted with reflection to affect decision quality. Findings confirmed the proposed mediating role of task representations and information elaboration.     

When does transformational leadership enhance employee proactive behavior? The role of autonomy and role breadth self-efficacy

Two multisource studies address the interactive effects of personal and contextual variables on employees' proactive behavior. In line with previous work, we find positive main effects of transformational leadership, role breadth self-efficacy, and job autonomy on employee proactive behavior (personal initiative in Study 1 and prosocial proactive behavior in Study 2). As expected, a 3-way interaction qualifies these main effects: In situations of high autonomy, transformational leadership relates positively to proactive behavior for individuals high (but not low) on self-efficacy. Vice versa, in situations low on job autonomy, transformational leadership relates positively to proactive behavior for individuals low (but not high) on self-efficacy. This pattern is found both for self-ratings and peer-ratings of employees' proactive behavior in Study 1 and for supervisor ratings of such behavior in Study 2.     

Examining the positive effects of rapport building: When and why does rapport building benefit adult eyewitness memory?

Most investigative interviewing protocols recommend building rapport with cooperative adult witnesses to increase the accuracy of their reports. Although a few recent studies support the benefits of rapport building on adult witness recall, no study has examined whether the timing of rapport in relation to post-event misinformation affects recall accuracy, and whether these effects are related to witness anxiety levels throughout the interview. The present study provided two hundred and thirty-three undergraduates with a videotaped mock crime followed by building high or low rapport either before or after they received post-event misinformation. All witnesses were then interviewed about the mock crime. Results indicated that high rapport before misinformation increased the amount of accurate information reported in a subsequent witness interview compared to low rapport. However, these recall benefits were not due to a reduction in anxiety. Theoretical implications and practical recommendations for police interviewing practices are discussed.     

When and why do people avoid unknown probabilities in decisions under uncertainty? Testing some predictions from optimal foraging theory.

When given a choice between two otherwise equivalent options - one in which the probability information is stated and another in which it is missing - most people avoid the option with missing probability information (Camerer & Weber, 1992). This robust, frequently replicated tendency is known as the ambiguity effect. It is unclear, however, why the ambiguity effect occurs. Experiments 1 and 2, which separated effects of the comparison process from those related to missing probability information, demonstrate that the ambiguity effect is elicited by missing probabilities rather than by comparison of options. Experiments 3 and 4 test predictions drawn from the literature on behavioral ecology. It is suggested that choices between two options should reflect three parameters: (1) the need of the organism, (2) the mean expected outcome of each option; and (3) the variance associated with each option's outcome. It is hypothesized that unknown probabilities are avoided because they co-occur with high outcome variability. In Experiment 3 it was found that subjects systematically avoid options with high outcome variability regardless of whether probabilities are explicitly stated or not. In Experiment 4, we reversed the ambiguity effect: when participants' need was greater than the known option's expected mean outcome, subjects preferred the ambiguous (high variance) option. From these experiments we conclude that people do not generally avoid ambiguous options. Instead, they take into account expected outcome, outcome variability, and their need in order to arrive at a decision that is most likely to satisfy this need.     

Testing the cognitive catalyst model of depression: does rumination amplify the impact of cognitive diatheses in response to stress?

Recent studies have found that rumination functions as a catalyst of cognitive vulnerability to depression. Specifically, these studies have reported synergistic effects between rumination and negative cognitive content (beliefs and attitudes), such that rumination amplifies the association between negative cognitive content and depression (Ciesla & Roberts, 2002, 2007; Robinson & Alloy, 2003). The current study extended this work by testing whether cognitive vulnerability involving the combination of negative cognitive content and rumination increases the impact of stress on the course of depressive symptoms. One hundred ninety-one college students with elevated depressive symptoms participated in a two-wave longitudinal study. Results indicate that the maintenance of depressive symptoms was predicted by the three-way interaction of negative cognitive content, rumination, and stressful life events. More specifically, students who endorsed both maladaptive cognitive content and a tendency to ruminate were particularly vulnerable to the deleterious impact of life stress.     

When does a deep dyslexic make a semantic error? The roles of age-of-acquisition, concreteness, and frequency

Semantic reading errors are the central and defining feature of deep dyslexia. This study compared the words the deep dyslexic patient LW read correctly with those she omitted and those to which she produced semantic errors in terms of their concreteness, age-of-acquisition, frequency, and length. Semantic errors were made to less concrete, later-acquired, and shorter words than were read correctly; there was no reliable effect of word frequency. More importantly, the actual semantic errors produced were later-acquired than the stimulus words, but they were not more concrete or reliably more frequent. These results implicate age-of-acquisition in the process that produces semantic errors. It is proposed that concreteness determines the specificity of the semantic system to activate a set of candidate responses and that age-of-acquisition biases the ease with which certain words can be selected from this set to be produced as reading responses.     

When does an ostrich become a bird? The role of typicality in early word comprehension.

Which objects and animals are children willing to accept as referents for words they know? To answer this question, the authors assessed early word comprehension using the preferential looking task. Children were shown 2 stimuli side by side (a target and a distractor) and heard the target stimulus named. The target stimulus was either a typical or an atypical exemplar of the named category. It was predicted that children first connect typical examples with the target name and broaden the extension of the name as they get older to include less typical examples. Experiment 1 shows that when targets are named, 12-month-olds display an increase in target looking for typical but not atypical targets whereas 24-month-olds display an increase for both. Experiment 2 shows that 18-month-olds display a pattern similar to that of 24-month-olds. Implications for the early development of word comprehension are discussed.     

When can feedback-seeking behavior result in a better performance rating? Investigating the moderating role of political skill

Feedback-seeking behavior is generally used to acquire job-related information that enables performance improvement. However, it can also be a form of impression management that improves an employee’s reputation. In this study, we show that employees who hold an image enhancement motive are more likely to seek feedback from their supervisors. Further, this feedback-seeking behavior mediates the relationship between the image enhancement motive and task performance ratings, consistent with the self-concept enhancing tactician (SCENT) model. However, we additionally incorporate socioanalytic theory to demonstrate that this indirect effect is moderated: the image enhancement motive translates into greater feedback-seeking behavior and task performance ratings only for employees with high political skill, who are capable of acting on their image enhancement motive successfully.     

Believing in the purpose of events—why does it occur,and is it supernatural?

What is the cognitive basis for the common belief that random events have a purpose, and are these beliefs a form of supernatural thinking, as Bering has suggested? Two questionnaire studies with Finnish volunteer participants (N = 2650, 1830 females, mean age 26) used structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the hypotheses that beliefs in the purpose of events are part of the same phenomenon as paranormal beliefs and that confusions of core knowledge of the psychological, biological and physical domains predict both sets of beliefs. In Study 1, participants were not given a definition of purpose, and in Study 2, purpose was explicitly defined as entailing planning by a supernatural agent. The results from both studies supported the predictions. The results indicate that construing events in terms of purpose is not a universal tendency but an individual cognitive bias that can be accounted for by false analogies from intuitive psychology, biology and physics. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Affect, accessibility of material in memory, and behavior: a cognitive loop?

Two studies investigated the effect of good mood on cognitive processes. In the first study, conducted in a shopping mall, a positive feeling state was induced by giving subjects a free gift, and good mood, thus induced, was found to improve subjects' evaluations of the performance and service records of products they owned. In the second study, in which affect was induced by having subjects win or lose a computer game in a laboratory setting, subjects who had won the game were found to be better able to recall positive material in memory. The results of the two studies are discussed in terms of the effect that feelings have on accessibility of cognitions. In addition, the nature of affect and the relationship between good mood and behavior (such as helping) are discussed in terms of this proposed cognitive process.