BIORHYTHMIC CYCLES AND THE INCIDENCE OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS

The biorhythm theory of accident explanation that has been increasingly popularized in the business press was empirically examined. The data set consisted of municipal employees adjudged to be at fault in 150 work-related vehicular accidents, and municipal employees involved in 210 on-the-job accidents resulting in workmen's compensation claims. Each accident case was analyzed to determine whether or not the accident occurred on a biorhythmically critical day. The results showed no systematic relationship between critical days and accident occurrences for these data groups. The data were also systematically evaluated for the existence of non-biorhythmic cycles. The results of this analysis showed that no useful level of association existed for any cycle. It was concluded that, while other groups or events may exhibit measurable cyclical patterns, it seems likely that the relationships are more complex than a simple association such as that posited on the basis of biorhythm theory.     

Skill performance on biorhythm theory's physically critical day.

The hypothesis of a critical day in biorhythm theory predicts that skill performance would be lower than normal on a physically critical day. Participants in an archery league were observed in 346 events. Indoor archery performance provided scores identical to the goal of the task and unaffected by environmental conditions or other competitors. Above-average performances on 34 physically critical days did not differ significantly from the population proportion of above-average performances. No support for the hypothesis was provided by this observation of archery performance.     

Employee substance use and on-the-job behaviors.

Substance use and job behaviors were assessed in a sample of municipal employees from a large city in the southwestern United States. Job behaviors included psychological and physical withdrawal, positive work behaviors, and antagonistic work behaviors. Employees who reported substance use at or away from work were found to more frequently engage in withdrawal activities and antagonistic work behaviors than did nonusers, although users and nonusers did not differ on positive work behaviors. We tested hierarchical regression models to determine whether substance use contributed unique variance to the prediction of job behaviors after we controlled for variance associated with personal and job background domains. Substance use added unique variance to the prediction of psychological and physical withdrawal behaviors but not to positive or antagonistic work behaviors.     

Language use of depressed and depression-vulnerable college students

Essays written by currently-depressed, formerly-depressed, and never-depressed college students were examined for differences in language that might shed light on the cognitive operations associated with depression and depression-vulnerability. A text analysis program computed the incidence of words in predesignated categories. Consistent with Beck's cognitive model and with Pyczsinski and Greenberg's self-focus model of depression, depressed participants used more negatively valenced words and used the word, "I" more than did never-depressed participants. Formerly-depressed (presumably depression-vulnerable) participants did not differ from never-depressed participants on these indices of depressive processing. However, consistent with prediction, formerly-depressed participants' use of the word "I" increased across the essays and was significantly greater than that of never-depressed writers in the final portion of the essays.     

Eyes on the road,hands upon the wheel? Reciprocal dynamics between smartphone use while driving and job crafting

Smartphones are essential tools for communications and information management in organizational settings. However, smartphone use is a risky behavior when used while driving to and from work. As work experiences have been found to influence risky commuting behaviors, we hypothesized that job crafting, i.e., a set of proactive work behaviors through which employees change their job demands and resources, influences and is influenced by risky commuting behaviors. We argued that employees' smartphone use during driving commutes is related to how employees proactively choose to transform their demands and resources at work. A quantitative diary study was designed to investigate the process linking smartphone use during driving commutes to and from work and job crafting. A sample of 128 office employees completed two short daily questionnaires for five consecutive workdays (N = 627 observations). Results from multilevel analyses showed that daily talking on the phone while driving to work was positively associated with the proactive optimization of job demands, while daily proactive pursuing of challenging stimuli at work (i.e., seeking challenges) was positively related to looking at the phone when employees drove back from work. Furthermore, on days when employees reduced their hindering job demands, they reported less frequent talking on the phone while driving back from work. Results provide practical implications for the prevention of distracted driving and other risky driving behaviors.     

Am I the Only One This Supervisor is Laughing at? Effects of Aggressive Humor on Employee Strain and Addictive Behaviors

Prior literature on humor primarily documents its positive effects on employees’ attitudes and behaviors, though increasing research on aggressive humor suggests some conflicting viewpoints. This paper proposes a model based on social comparison and attribution theories to examine the influence of supervisors’ aggressive humor on employees’ strain and addictive behaviors. The tests of the research model entailed a 2‐wave study with 243 frontline employees from 4 manufacturing companies of a group corporation in China. The results showed that supervisors’ aggressive humor with employees related positively to employees’ strain. This positive association became stronger when the supervisors did not use aggressive humor with the peers of the focal employees. Employees’ strain mediated the interactive effects of supervisors’ aggressive humor with the focal employees and those with their peers on employees’ addictive behaviors (e.g., problematic use of Internet, alcohol, and tobacco). As well as having practical implications, this study offers theoretical insights for research into humor, leadership, and addictive behaviors.     

The Measurement of Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Are We Assuming Too Much?

Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) is assessed by measuring how frequently employees display extra-role and discretionary behaviors. One hundred forty-four managerial employees responded to an OCB scale and indicated the number of behaviors on the scale they believed to be formally evaluated. None of the behaviors were believed to be unevaluated by all employees. Data suggest that a typical OCB scale is not measuring citizenship behaviors for everybody, and that OCB measurement needs refinement. Best prediction of other organizational variables was obtained when both the OCB and an index of "unevaluated" behaviors were used as predictors. Supervisor fairness interacted with OCB when predicting organizational commitment, and this interaction was contingent on the extent OCBs were believed to be unevaluated.     

Employees' Perceptions of the Distributive Justice of Pay Raise Decisions: A Policy Capturing Approach

An examination was made of the factors that contribute to employee perceptions of the distributive justice of compensation outcomes and how employees differ in their perceptions. A sample of 414 employees of a large public university was used to assess what distributive rules are associated with employees' perceptions of the fairness of pay raise decisions. The results found that employees evaluated the fairness of pay raise decisions differently. A cluster analysis identified three groups of employees who differed in their perceptions, and one-way analysis of variance highlighted a number of demographic and attitudinal factors by which these groups were distinguished.     

REACTION OF EMPLOYEES TO PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL INTERVIEWS AS A FUNCTION OF THEIR PARTICIPATION IN RATING SCALE DEVELOPMENT

A substantial amount of research has been conducted on the performance appraisal feedback interview. The purpose of the present field study was to see whether employee involvement in the development of rating scales used in the feedback interview affected ratees' perceptions of the interview. Behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) were developed for five job families in a midwestem hospital. A participation group consisted of employees from each of the job families who were involved in all phases of BARS construction. A nonparticipation group involved an equal number of employees from each of the job families who were not involved in the BARS development. The results showed that participation in BARS construction led to favorable perceptions regarding the performance appraisal interview process as well as positive outcomes.     

INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN SUCCESSFUL JOB SEARCHES FOLLOWING LAY-OFF

A field study was conducted to examine attitudinal and behavioral variables associated with reemployment following job termination. Thirty-five employees were surveyed within two days following termination. Of those surveyed, 23 were contacted one month later regarding employment status. Analyses revealed that reemployed persons were significantly more confident of job search skills and had engaged in a greater number of search behaviors than had individuals who had remained unemployed. No significant differences between the reemployed and still unemployed groups were obtained in affective responses to termination or nonwork-related variables. The findings suggest that reemployment success is related to individual differences in expectations of successful job search. Implications for future research on job loss and reemployment are discussed.     

An observational study on the risk behaviors of electric bicycle riders performing meal delivery at urban intersections in China

Along with the increase of online catering, the number of accidents involved meal delivery riders increases dramatically in China, and their riding behavior might contribute to fatal accidents. We conducted a field observation study to investigate the risk behavior characteristics of meal delivery couriers riding electric bicycles at urban intersections in China. We selected 4 typical signalized urban intersections in Beijing, and video recorded traffic behaviors of meal delivery riders for eight hours. A total of 1891 couriers crossing intersections on electric bicycles were observed, categorized, and analyzed. The results showed that red-light-running and riding-on-the-motor-lane were the most frequent risky traffic behaviors. The ratios of risk behaviors from delivery couriers were almost all significantly higher than those of normal riders (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in these risk behaviors for riders across different platforms. The findings provide valuable insights for understanding couriers’ risk behaviors at intersections and make useful suggestions for improving traffic safety.     

Further evidence of associations of type a personality scores and driving-related attitudes and behaviors

The present study examined the effects of Type A personality on specific self-reported driving attitudes and behaviors when operating a motor vehicle. 102 undergraduate students completed the student version of the Jenkins Activity Survey (Form T) and several questionnaires asking participants about their driving history, driving attitudes, and driving behaviors. When the full range of Type A scores were examined, Type A personality was significantly related to more traffic accidents, greater frequency of breaking traffic laws, higher impatience when driving, more displays of aggression on the road, and engaging in more risky driving behaviors (rs<.17). When extreme Type A and Type B scores were compared, Type A drivers reported being involved in significantly more motor vehicle accidents and reported displaying more aggression on the road. Further research should examine actual behavioral data using more diverse samples to validate the results.     

Adolescents’ Behaviors as Moderators for the Link between Parental Self-Efficacy and Parenting Practices

Based on theory that parents with higher levels of self-efficacy (PSE) should find it easier to parent effectively in the face of challenging child behaviors than should parents with lower levels of PSE, this study examines the link between PSE and parenting using children’s behaviors as potential moderators. Participants were 130 parents who had an older adolescent (M _age?=?17.58) in addition to the target adolescent (M _age?=?11.79), and both adolescents’ externalizing behaviors were used as moderators for the link between PSE and parenting of the target adolescent. Path analysis in Mplus showed that higher PSE was linked to more promotive parenting but only among parents who had an older adolescent with lower levels of externalizing behaviors. Among parents of adolescents with higher levels of externalizing behaviors, whose promotive parenting was significantly lower than other parents overall, PSE did not predict promotive parenting. The link between PSE and parenting did not differ depending on the target adolescents’ behavior. Findings suggest that the link between parents’ beliefs and parenting depends on the broader family context. More specifically, how PSE is linked to parenting practices depends at least partly on the experiences that parents bring from parenting an older adolescent to their interactions with a later-born adolescent. From a clinical perspective, parents might need guidance in how to think about their earlier parenting experiences when parenting a younger adolescent.     

Disulfiram maintenance employee alcoholism treatment: A three-phase evaluation

Absenteeism rates of industrial employees (N = 21) referred by their employers to alcoholism treatment were evaluated during three phases: pre-treatment (the 24 months immediately prior to treatment); treatment (the period of continuous treatment enrolment, averaging 10.6 months); and post-treatment (the period immediately following treatment, averaging 4.4 months). Treatment consisted of disulfiram maintenance—routine supervised ingestion of disulfiram—without scheduled counseling. The median per cent of scheduled work days absent for each phase was: pre-treatment, 9.8%; treatment, 1.7%; post-treatment, 6.7%. Absenteeism during the treatment phase was significantly less (p < 0.01) than that during pre-treatment and post-treatment, which did not differ significantly from one another. The five-fold reduction in absenteeism was specifically related to treatment delivery, and appears superior to the two-fold reduction reported for traditional employee alcoholism treatment via counseling.     

The effect of mortality salience on women's judgments of male faces

Previous research has shown that individuals who are reminded of their death exhibited a greater desire for offspring than those who were not reminded of their death. The present research investigated whether being reminded of mortality affects mate selection behaviors, such as facial preference judgments. Prior research has shown that women prefer more masculine faces when they are at the high versus low fertility phase of their menstrual cycles. We report an experiment in which women were tested either at their high or fertility phase. They were randomly assigned to either a mortality salience (MS) or control condition and then asked to judge faces ranging from extreme masculine to extreme feminine. The results showed that women's choice of the attractive male face was determined by an interaction between fertility phase and condition. In control conditions, high fertility phase women preferred a significantly more masculine face than women who were in a lower fertility phase of their menstrual cycles. In MS conditions, high fertility phase women preferred a significantly less masculine (i.e., more average) face than women who were in a low fertility phase. The results indicate that biological processes, such as fertility phase, involved in mate selection are sensitive to current environmental factors, such as death reminders. This sensitivity may serve as an adaptive compromise when choosing a mate in potentially adverse environmental conditions.     

Social isolation inhibits male-like sexual behavior in female hamsters

In the female golden hamster, Mesocricetus auratus, group housing permits the expression of male-like behavioral patterns including mounting and pelvic thrusting toward an estrous stimulus female. Sixty percent of females housed in groups of five showed these behaviors, while singly housed females were rarely observed to show mounting or thrusting. Females weaned at 19 or 35 days of age did not differ in their tendencies to show male-like behavioral patterns. Virtually all observations of mounting and pelvic thrusting behaviors were made on days when the females being tested were in behavioral estrus. These findings differ from previous studies which have reported that masculine behavioral patterns are rare in normal female hamsters. In previous studies females that were evaluated were typically not in behavioral estrus and were not housed for long periods of time with other intact females. Social factors interact with hormonal state to contribute to the expression of male-like behaviors in female hamsters.     

Communication and social skills in socially anxious and nonanxious individuals in the context of romantic relationships

This study examined differences between socially anxious and nonanxious individuals' ability to use effective communication skills and social skills in the context of romantic relationships. Socially anxious (n = 13) and nonanxious (n = 14) individuals and their romantic partners were videotaped while participating in 10-minute neutral, negative, and pleasant conversations. Regardless of the type of conversation in which they were involved, socially anxious individuals demonstrated impairment in 10 of the 11 social skill variables assessed. In negative conversations, socially anxious individuals displayed more "very negative" behaviors than nonanxious individuals, and across all conversations they displayed fewer "positive" behaviors than nonanxious individuals. Partners of socially anxious and nonanxious individuals did not differ in their communication quality. The results suggest that social anxiety is associated with deficits in relationship maintenance behavior and call for the completion of a larger study examining the interpersonal consequences of social anxiety.     

Control and Anticipation of Social Interruptions: Reduced Stress and Improved Task Performance1

Social interruptions are frequent occurrences that often have distressing consequences for employees, yet little research has gauged their effect on individuals. Participants were exposed to 2 social interruptions as they engaged in a computer task with an accepted performance goal. Participants who were able to anticipate social interruptions performed significantly better than did those who could not anticipate them. Participants who had the opportunity to prevent interruptions reported significantly less stress than those who did not have this opportunity. This reduction in stress resulted even when participants did not take advantage of this opportunity. Implications for job performance and job satisfaction are discussed. Organizational strategies for how leaders can help employees manage social interruptions are suggested.     

Achievement Place: modification of the behaviors of pre-delinquent boys within a token economy

The "pre-delinquent" behaviors of six boys at Achievement Place, a community based family style behavior modification center for delinquents, were modified using token (points) reinforcement procedures. In Exp. I, point losses contingent on each minute late were effective in producing promptness at the evening meal. During the reversal phase, threats (which were not backed up with point losses) to reinstate the point consequences initially improved promptness but the last two of five threats were ineffective. In Exp. II, point consequences effectively maintained the boys' room-cleaning behavior and, during a fading condition where the percentage of days when the contingency occurred was decreased, the point consequences remained effective for over six months, even when they were delivered on only 8% of the days. Experiment III showed that the boys saved considerable amounts of money when point consequences were available for deposits but saved little money when no points were available. Also, when points were given only for deposits that occurred on specific days the boys deposited their money almost exclusively on those days. In Exp. IV, point consequences contingent on the number of correct answers on a news quiz produced the greatest increase in the percentage of boys who watched the news and, to a lesser extent, increased the percentage of correct answers for the boys who watched the news. The results indicate that "pre-delinquent" behaviors are amenable to modification procedures and that a token reinforcement system provides a practical means of modifying these behaviors.