POLICY CONFLICT AS A FUNCTION OF POLICY SIMILARITY AND POLICY COMPLEXITY

B rehmer B. Policy conflict as a function of policy similarity and policy complexity. Scand. J. Psychol ., 1972, 13 , 208–221.—The experiment tests the hypotheses, derived from the results of earlier studies on policy conflict, that subjects with similar policies will decrease their agreement in a policy conflict situation, and that subjects with cognitively complex policies will decrease their agreement more than subjects with cognitively simple policies. The results support the hypotheses, and show that the decrease in agreement is due to the decrease in policy consistency which, in turn, is due to the manner in which the subjects change their policies in the conflict situation.     

ACQUISITION AND MAINTENANCE OF HEALTH-CARE ROUTINES AS A FUNCTION OF FEEDBACK DENSITY

Two schedules of feedback were examined to determine their relative effects on the acquisition and maintenance of three health-care routines: feeding, positioning, and transferring physically disabled patients. Four direct service providers' performances in the natural environment were measured weekly. Concurrent schedules and multiple baselines across subjects and response classes were used to evaluate the effects of written instructions combined with either continuous, intermittent, or no-feedback schedules. Results showed that instructions alone led to slight and usually brief changes. Marked improvements were noted after feedback was introduced, with the continuous schedule producing more rapid acquisition. Follow-up measures indicated performance maintenance for both schedules. Subjects rated the feedback programs favorably and recommended provision of this service to co-workers. Cost estimates indicated that, although considerable time was spent developing the observational system, the feedback procedure was relatively inexpensive, easy to use, and did not interfere with patient care.     

EFFECTS OF COMMUNICATION AND FEEDBACK ON COGNITIVE CONFLICT

BREHMER, B. Effects of communication and feedback on cognitive conflict. Scand. J. Psychol. , 12, 205–216.–The effects of communication and feedback upon policy similarity and policy consistency in cognitive conflict were studied in a 2×2×5 factorial experiment with communication (present/ absent), feedback (present/absent) and blocks of trials as the factors. Communication increased policy similarity and agreement, but feedback had no effect. Both subjects with linear and subjects with nonlinear policies gave up more of their initial policy in the communication condition, but only the nonlinear subjects managed to utilize communication to acquire new policies. In all conditions, including the condition without feedback and communication, the nonlinear subjects' policies were less consistent than those of the linear subjects. This suggests that nonlinear policies may be less stable than linear policies.     

THE EFFECTS OF FEEDBACK SEQUENCE AND EXPERTISE OF THE RATER ON PERCEIVED FEEDBACK ACCURACY1

Using a 2 × 2 experimental design, the present study examined the main and interactive effects of feedback sequence (negative-positive vs. positive-negative) and expertise of the rater (high vs. low) on perceptions of feedback accuracy. In addition, the study assessed the moderating effects of locus of control and self-esteem on the relationship between feedback sequence and perceived feedback accuracy. Results indicate that the order in which positive or negative feedback is presented affects perceived feedback accuracy. Moreover, results suggest that feedback sequence interacts with the expertise of the rater to affect perceptions of feedback accuracy. In addition, the findings suggest that both locus of control and self-esteem moderate the relationship between feedback sequence and perceived feedback accuracy. Implications of the study's findings for presenting feedback in performance appraisal/feedback sessions are discussed.     

关于绩效反馈类型和方式的实验研究

本研究要求120名被试完成一个既要求质量也要求数量的任务,旨在探索反馈类型与方式同工作绩效的关系。本实验采用一个3×3双向分类的实验设计,另外附加一个控制组。研究结果表明:(1)总体看来,反馈组的成绩要优于控制组。(2)反馈的性质影响着绩效水平。质量和数量的同时反馈其绩效水平要优于其它类型的反馈。(3)允许自由选择反馈和实施定期反馈能够提高个体的工作绩效。(4)自由选择和定期反馈与数质反馈的结合是取得高绩效目标的最佳控制模式。     

样例与运算性程序知识学习迁移关系的初步研究

以程序性知识进一步区分为联结性程序知识与运算性程序知识为前提,对样例与运算性程序知识学习迁移的关系进行探讨。结果表明：（１）样例对运算性程序知识迁移成绩有重要影响;（２）运算性程序知识的学习迁移有着不同联结性程序知识的学习迁移现象。     

TRANSFERENCE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND ITS IMPACT ON MEXICO

The impact of the transfer of the psychological knowledge from the developed countries to Mexico, is briefly described. It is clear that scientific psychological methodology and contents were introduced to Mexico at the end of the 19th Century. The impetus to the National Educational System was primarily derived from psychometric methods and secondarily from modern conceptions of education. The professional psychological practice in Mexico today is practically indistinguishable from its exercise in the developed nations as far as client services are concerned. On the other hand, there is relatively scarce and often inept use of professional or applied research techniques to the social problems of groups or to the evaluation of programs. The impact on pure and applied research, none the less, has been extensive and a relatively large number of people are doing research in several areas of psychology, particularly cross-cultural, neuro-psychological, the experimental analysis of behavior, action and interdisciplinary research in social and educational psychology. Priorities are: (1) Systematic teaching at the graduate level of the statistical and computational methodology of psychology in the context of research design and evaluation; (2) The operationalization or transferring to every day language of the concepts and techniques of psychology for use of the general public; (3) The better staffing of many, particularly the private schools of professional psychology.     

BEALER ON THE AUTONOMY OF PHILOSOPHICAL AND SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE

Abstract: In a series of influential articles, George Bealer argues for the autonomy of philosophical knowledge on the basis that philosophically known truths must be necessary truths. The main point of his argument is that the truths investigated by the sciences are contingent truths to be discovered a posteriori by observation, while the truths of philosophy are necessary truths to be discovered a priori by intuition. The project of assimilating philosophy to the sciences is supposed to be rendered illegitimate by the more or less sharp distinction in these characteristic methods and its modal basis. In this article Bealer's particular way of drawing the distinction between philosophy and science is challenged in a novel manner, and thereby philosophical naturalism is further defended.     

READING ABILITY AND PRIOR KNOWLEDGE AS PREDICTORS OF ELEVEN AND TWELVE YEAR OLDS' TEXT COMPREHENSION

The effect of prior knowledge on the comprehension of written prose paragraphs in intact, topic sentence deleted and topic and concluding sentence deleted conditions was studied. A methodology for determining prior knowledge is advanced. Subjects were average and high ability upper elementary age children. A 3 X 3 passage by treatment design was utilized. Strongest correlations were for ability and prior knowledge, and criterion measures of inferencing and summarizing. ANOVA yielded significant main effects for ability and all criterion measures except inference. Step‐wise regression analysis suggests prior knowledge as a better response predictor than ability on three of four criterion measures. The utility of an uncomplicated method for analyzing students' levels of prior knowledge valuable to researchers and classroom teachers is discussed.     

THE INFLUENCE OF UPWARD FEEDBACK ON SELF- AND FOLLOWER RATINGS OF LEADERSHIP

The impact of upward feedback (followers' perceptions of leadership provided to leaders) on leaders' self-evaluations and followers' subsequent ratings of leadership was assessed in a field setting. Subjects were 978 student leaders and their 1,232 followers. Results indicated that overall, leaders' behaviors as rated by followers improved after feedback. Leaders' self-evaluations following feedback became more similar to the evaluations provided by followers. Interestingly, when leaders were grouped according to whether feedback was positive, neutral, or negative based on agreement between self- and follower ratings, differences between groups in post-feedback self-evaluations and follower ratings emerged. Self-evaluations for leaders receiving negative feedback (high self- relative to followers' ratings) went down, while self-evaluations for leaders receiving positive feedback (low self- relative to follower's ratings) went up. Follower ratings of leaders who received negative feedback improved following feedback to leaders, while there was no change in follower ratings for those receiving positive feedback. Implications for using upward feedback in organizations are discussed.