Everyday Cognitive Functioning in Cardiac Patients: Relationships Between Self-report,Report of a Significant Other and Cognitive Test Performance

ABSTRACT

Candidates for cardiac bypass surgery often experience cognitive decline. Such decline is likely to affect their everyday cognitive functioning. The aim of the present study was to compare cardiac patients' ratings of their everyday cognitive functioning against significant others' ratings and selected neuropsychological tests. Sixty-nine patients completed a battery of standardised cognitive tests. Patients and significant others also completed the Everyday Function Questionnaire independently of each other. Patient and significant other ratings of patients' everyday cognitive difficulties were found to be similar. Despite the similarities in ratings of difficulties, some everyday cognitive tasks were attributed to different processes. Patients' and significant others' ratings were most closely associated with the neuropsychological test of visual memory. Tests of the patients' verbal memory and fluency were only related to significant others' ratings. Test scores of attention and planning were largely unrelated to ratings by either patients or their significant others.     

Confidence,not consistency,characterizes flashbulb memories

On September 12, 2001, 54 Duke students recorded their memory of first hearing about the terrorist attacks of September 11 and of a recent everyday event. They were tested again either 1, 6, or 32 weeks later. Consistency for the flashbulb and everyday memories did not differ, in both cases declining over time. However, ratings of vividness, recollection, and belief in the accuracy of memory declined only for everyday memories. Initial visceral emotion ratings correlated with later belief in accuracy, but not consistency, for flashbulb memories. Initial visceral emotion ratings predicted later posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Flashbulb memories are not special in their accuracy, as previously claimed, but only in their perceived accuracy.     

Extrarelationship Involvement Among Heterosexual Males: An Explanation Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, Relationship Quality, and Past Behavior

The present study investigated the reasons why males in relationships engage in extrarelationship involvements (ERls). The theory of planned behavior was used as the basis for a decision-making model for ERI. The contribution of relationship factors and past behavior to explain ERI was also investigated. A division of perceived behavioral control into individual components of self-efficacy, control, and planning was also tested. Different sets of factors were associated with intention and behavior. ERI intentions were predicted by attitudes toward ERI, planning, game-playing love, and positive experience of past ERI. Present ERI behavior was predicted by ERI behavior in the past 6 months. Results generally supported the theory of planned behavior, especially for the prediction of intention.     

Ecological validity of the German Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency – 2nd Edition

The diagnosis of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is based on poor motor coordination in the absence of other neurological disorders. In order to identify the presence of movement difficulties, a standardised motor assessment is recommended to determine the extent of movement problems which may contribute to deficits in daily task performance. A German version of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (German BOT-2) was recently published. This study aimed to determine the ecological validity of the German BOT-2 by considering the relationship between assessment of fundamental motor skills with the BOT-2 and performance of everyday motor activities as evaluated by parents. This study used data obtained from the German BOT-2 standardisation study (n = 1.177). Subtests were compared with theoretically corresponding tasks via parental ratings of overall fine and gross motor abilities and performance in six typical motor activities. Non-parametric Jonckheere Terpstra test was used to identify differences in ordered contrasts. Subtests reflecting ‘Strength’, ‘Running Speed and Agility’, ‘Upper-Limb Coordination’, ‘Balance’, and ‘Fine Motor Precision’ were associated with parental evaluation of gross motor skills (p < 0.001). The subtest ‘Fine Motor Integration’ significantly correlated with parental ratings of females’ fine motor skills. Parental ratings of males’ fine motor skills were associated with three further subtests. Regarding everyday motor activities, the first three fine motor BOT-2 subtests were associated with parent evaluations of drawing, writing and arts and crafts (p < 0.001). Gross motor subtests of ‘Bilateral Coordination’ and ‘Balance’ showed no relationship to bike riding or performance in sports. Subtests of ‘Upper-Limb Coordination’ and ‘Strength’ showed significant correlations with sports, ball games and cycling. The results of this study suggest that the closer the proximity in the nature of the motor skills assessed in the German BOT-2 to daily motor tasks, the stronger the relationship between the clinical test and parental report of everyday performance of their child. The body functions tested in the German BOT-2, and hypothesized to underpin certain skills, were not automatically relevant for specific activities undertaken by German children. Future research should investigate the relationships of the various BOT-2 constructs for diagnosis of DCD.     

Standard profile for the evaluation of working women's vulnerability to sexual harassment

The aim of the present study was to investigate relationships between Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) and employee adverse health (i.e., psychosomatic complaints, physical symptoms, and exhaustion). The Effort-Reward Imbalance Model was extended by discriminating three specific rewards separately (i.e., salary, esteem, and job security). A sample of 167 health-care workers was used to test the relationship between ERI (i.e., high effort accompanied with low reward) and employee adverse health with multiple univariate logistic regression analyses. Separate analyses were carried out with a composite reward scale and with each of the three specific reward scales as independent variables. The results indicate that the health outcomes of ERI vary depending on the specific reward that was used. Generally, the most adverse health effects were found for employees who reported both high efforts and low rewards, thus supporting the ERI Model. Moreover, the strongest effects of ERI on employee health were found when esteem was used as a reward indicator. Job security also appeared to be an important reward in this respect, whereas salary did not have strong effects as a result of ERI. Although the ERI Model was merely supported by the results, current findings also indicate it is important to separate different kinds of rewards, especially in health-care work in order to capture the complexity of working with clients as well.     

Does equity sensitivity moderate the relationship between effort–reward imbalance and burnout

The model of effort–reward imbalance (ERI) received considerable research attention in the job stress literature. However, very scarce research investigated individual differences as moderators between ERI and stress. The present study is aimed at examining the combined effects of ERI, overcommitment (OVC), and the interaction between ERI and overcommitment on burnout (i.e., emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy) and the moderating role of equity sensitivity. A questionnaire measuring ERI, burnout, and equity sensitivity was administered to 159 employees. Regression analyses were conducted to test the proposed relations and moderating hypotheses. ERI was negatively related to inefficacy and overcommitment was positively related to emotional exhaustion and cynicism. In addition, equity sensitivity was found to moderate the effect of overcommitment on emotional exhaustion and inefficacy. The findings emphasize the detrimental effect overcommitment may have on employee's mental health and suggest that the ERI model components may be closely related to perceptions of organizational justice.     

Mental time travel into the episodic future,episodic past,and episodic counterfactual past in everyday life

To date, studies exploring the relationship of counterfactual thoughts with episodic memories and episodic future thoughts have focused mainly on voluntary mental time travel. We explore mental time travel in everyday life and find that episodic counterfactual thinking occurs to a much lesser extent than thinking about the past or the future (12%, 22%, and 54%, respectively), is used mainly for mood regulation purposes, and the temporal distribution decreases as a function of time. We observe similarities in phenomenological detail: memories and counterfactual thoughts sharing similar ratings of sensory detail, memories and future thoughts sharing similar ratings of positivity, and counterfactual and future thoughts sharing similar ratings of mental time travel. We discuss the implications of episodic counterfactual thinking in everyday life.     

An investigation of planned helping behavior

It is argued that stable, individual differences in helping behavior have not generally been observed in previous research because of the type of helping studied. This paper advocates the study of planned helping behavior as opposed to spontaneous helping behavior. The results of three studies are reported. In Study 1, an instrument designed to measure level of involvement in planned helping activities was developed. Scores on this instrument were found to be stable over a 7-month period. Further analysis revealed two major types of planned helping: (a) formal, organizational helping and (b) informal helping between friends and family. Study 2 examined a variety of intrapsychic and demographic correlates of formal and informal planned helping. Study 3 found support for the hypothesis that people in helping professions have higher levels of involvement in everyday planned helping than do people in nonhelping occupations. It is concluded that the study of planned helping, although posing methodological difficulties, is a necessary adjunct to experimental research.     

The lexicon and sentence generation in aphasia

The experiment tested a prediction, derived from the lexicalist model of grammar (J. Bresnan 1978, in M. Halle, J. Bresnan, & G. A. Miller (Eds.), Linguistic theory and psychological reality, Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, pp. 1–59), that difficulty in accessing a verb from the lexicon should impair the generation of the associated to-complement clause while not significantly affecting the generation of word-independent constructions such as questions. Four aphasic subjects with word-finding difficulties but relatively high BDAE ratings on grammatical ability were examined. A modified story completion paradigm was used to elicit the favored constructions. Consistent with the hypothesis, all subjects showed greater difficulty in generating to-complements.     

Accuracy and perspective in involuntary autobiographical memory

This study investigated accuracy (veridicality) and perspective (point of view) in everyday involuntary memories (i.e. spontaneous recollections of the past). Using the naturalistic diary method, subjects were asked to give confidence ratings on the accuracy of their involuntary memories as well as contact others who were present in them, having them also give confidence ratings. Memory perspective was assessed by asking subjects to indicate whether their memories had a field (original) or observer (the perspective of another) point of view. The results showed subjects assigning high confidence ratings to involuntary memories, which did not differ from the confidence ratings given by others, or from the confidence ratings that they had assigned to their voluntary memories. The perspective query showed that involuntary memories come with both field and observer perspectives, and that their relative proportions did not differ from those reported for their voluntary memories. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fluency and eye contact as factors influencing observers' perceptions of stutterers

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of different levels of eye contact and fluency on observers' perceptions of a speaker. One of four videotapes depicting an actor (playing the part of a supervisor) interviewing another actor (who played a subordinate) were shown to 127 college students. The four videotapes represented four different conditions comprising combinations of fluent vs nonfluent speech and normal vs low eye contact. Results indicated that these combinations of fluency and eye contact differentially influence listeners' perceptions of a speaker. Highest ratings were obtained for the fluent-normal eye-contact speaker, with lower ratings for all other conditions. In addition, it was determined that the frequency of eye contact rather than fluency was more strongly related to listeners' perceptions. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.     

老年人记忆补偿的长期稳定性和变异性：来自维多利亚纵向研究的证据

两种记忆状况组来自于参与加拿大维多利亚纵向研究(VLS)的老年人原样本。一种是未受损伤的控制组(NIC), 另一种是轻度记忆损伤组(MMD)。在基线水平和纵向水平上(即5次追踪或12年)比较了他们在日常生活中对记忆补偿技术的使用。我们使用多水平模型(以年龄和教育水平为协变量)来检验基线水平的差异和长期的变化模式。基线的结果表明MMD组被试报告了近期在日常生活中使用记忆补偿策略方面有更大的增长。纵向的结果表明记忆补偿的使用在12年中具有明显的稳定性, 但是与努力相关的补偿机制存在显著组间差异。教育水平这一协变量(可认为是潜在的认知储备指标)和三种记忆补偿策略随时间的不同变化相关。     

Effort‐reward‐imbalance,overcommitment and self‐reported health: Is it the interaction that matters?

In recent years, the effort‐reward‐imbalance (ERI) model has become widely used as a framework for examining job characteristics and employee's health. The present study tested the predictive validity of the ERI model's components ‐ ERI, over‐commitment (OC) and their interaction ‐ on the basis of self‐reported health outcomes. In a cross‐sectional study, data were obtained from 1,587 employees working in the aircraft manufacturing industry in southern Germany. Results suggested that all components of the ERI model (effort‐reward‐ratio, effort, reward and over‐commitment) are associated with health‐related quality of life, vital exhaustion, depression and quality of sleep. The separate variables effort and reward explained more of the observed variance than the effort‐reward ratio. No interaction between ERI and OC in predicting measurements of self‐reported health could be found. The findings suggest (1) that the ERI ratio does not provide more information than the separate use of the variables effort and reward, and (2) that there are main effects of ERI and OC but no interaction effect on employees' health. Implications for theory and applied research are discussed.     

Sensitivity to the cognitive and affective qualities of odours

This study examined cognitive and emotional responses to odours in the laboratory in relation to everyday attitudes toward odours. A total of 136 subjects completed a questionnaire about the role of Odours in Everyday Life (OELQ) and their responses were summed to develop an index of overall responsiveness to odours: 36 subjects, who were in the top and bottom quartiles on this index, rated pleasant (e.g., rose) and unpleasant (e.g., synthetic sweat) odours in the laboratory on 7-point scales. Separate factor analyses were done for the OELQ items and the laboratory ratings, and these factors were intercorrelated. The factor analysis on the OELQ data yielded three primary factors, encompassing the Sexual Role of Bodily Odours, Ecological Odour Sensitivity, and Odour-evoked Memories, as well as three secondary factors. Two factors were derived from the laboratory ratings contrasting Cognitive (sensations, images, memories) and Affective (pleasant, soothing, energising) Responses. Correlations among the factors showed that Ecological Odour Sensitivity in everyday life was correlated with strong Cognitive but weak Affective Responsiveness to the laboratory odours. In contrast, the Sexual Role of Bodily Odours (OELQ) was positively correlated with Affective Responses to the odours in the laboratory. These data underscore the dual role of odours in stimulating cognitive and affective reactions both in everyday life and in the laboratory.     

Worker estimation of ability requirements of their jobs

A modified version of the Minnesota Job Requirements Questionnaire (MJRQ), representing the GATB aptitudes, was used by workers in 11 selected jobs to rate the ability requirements of their jobs. Worker MJRQ ratings were compared with supervisor MJRQ ratings. Modified Occupational Ability Patterns (OAPs) derived from worker ratings were compared with OAPs based on supervisor ratings, OAPs from expert ratings in the DOT, and OAPs from the empirical GATB approach. Reliability of worker MJRQ ratings was comparable to that of supervisor ratings. Comparisons of mean ratings and variability of ratings of workers in a job category with workers in other jobs, and with supervisors rating the same job, showed construct validity for worker MJRQ ratings, as did intercorrelations of the worker ratings. OAPs derived from worker MJRQ ratings compared favorably with OAPs derived from supervisor MJRQ ratings, from the DOT, and from the GATB. Differences among workers on variables such as satisfaction, age and tenure did not significantly affect their MJRQ ratings. Implications of the worker MJRQ ratings are discussed.     

新三元付出-回报失衡模型框架下护士的付出、回报和过度投入与工作倦怠的关系

摘 要 目的：在护士群体中检验付出、回报和过度投入及其交互作用对工作倦怠的影响,验证新三元付出-回报失衡模型。方法：采用问卷法测查了456名女护士的付出、回报、过度投入和工作倦怠。采用分层线性回归分析验证自变量对因变量的影响。结果：付出、过度投入和付出-回报比正向影响情绪耗竭和去个性化,付出和付出-回报比负向影响职业效能,回报负向影响去个性化,正向影响职业效能。付出对工作倦怠的影响最大,其次是过度投入,回报的影响最小。过度投入能调节付出-回报比对情绪耗竭、职业效能的影响。结论：新三元付出-回报失衡模型适用于女护士群体。     

Supervisor estimation of abilities required in jobs

The Minnesota Job Requirements Questionnaire (MJRQ) was developed and administered to supervisors of 11 selected jobs who rated the ability requirements of the job they supervised. The MJRQ represented each of nine GATB aptitudes by five items in a Likert-type format. MJRQ ratings were compared with expert ratings in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) and Occupational Ability Patterns (OAPs) derived from administration of the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB). Reliability of MJRQ ratings was shown by high Hoyt reliability coefficients. Comparison of mean ratings and variabilities of ratings by supervisors in a job showed construct validity for the MJRQ approach, as did intercorrelations of MJRQ ratings. OAPs derived from the MJRQ compared favorably with those derived from the GATB and DOT, showing promise for the parsimonious MJRQ approach to the development of OAPs.     

付出-回馈工作压力模型：西方国家十年来研究的回顾与评析

付出&;#8722;回馈工作压力模型(Effort-Reward Imbalance, ERI)以社会交换理论为视角, 从付出、回馈、过度投入三个方面探讨了工作压力的形成机制和作用机理。在对近十几年来有关ERI模型实证研究文献的梳理和分析的基础上, 系统地介绍ERI模型的理论基础、模型的适用性验证、相关变量探索及模型拓展等, 发现目前的ERI模型具有较好的解释力和适用性, 但是模型的中间变量及交互假设有待进一步探索, 付出、回报失衡值的计算方法尚需进一步优化。     

Affiliativeness: A trait measure in relation to single-act and multiple-act behavioral criteria

The validity of trait affiliativeness is examined. Based on an assertion related to attitudes, it was predicted that a trait measure would predict a single-act criterion worst, a repeated measure of a single act better, and a multiple-act criterion best. The prediction was confirmed, supporting the notion that traits are, as originally conceived, good predictors of broadly based behavioral tendencies but not necessarily of isolated acts.     

The impact of perceived effort–reward imbalance on workplace bullying: also a matter of organizational identification

Work environments characterized by inadequate work conditions have been widely recognized as being particularly prone to the occurrence and exacerbation of bullying behavior. Accordingly, this longitudinal study aimed to explore whether the impact of effort–reward imbalance (ERI) on workplace bullying was mediated by a lower perception of organizational justice, and whether the association between ERI and perceptions of justice was moderated by organizational identification. In the current study, a sample of N = 195 Spanish employees from different occupational sectors filled in an online questionnaire at two different times with a time lag of 8 months. In line with the hypothesized moderated mediation model, results showed that organizational justice mediated the impact of ERI on workplace bullying. Moreover, the effect of perceived ERI on organizational justice was stronger for employees with low organizational identification. Overall, this study can contribute to better understanding how and when ERI boosts the risk of workplace bullying. Accordingly, early intervention designed to buffer the negative effects of ERI should focus on increasing individual levels of organizational identification.