Delay of Gratification and Locus of Control as Predictors of Organizational Satisfaction and Commitment: Sex Differences

The relationships of two personality measures—locus of control and delay of gratification—with organizational satisfaction and commitment were investigated. Results indicated that orientation to delay reinforcement was positively related to commitment and satisfaction. Confirming previous findings, internality in locus of control was also positively related to the organizational constructs. However, results of analyses of sex differences and interactions between locus of control and delay of gratification in predicting satisfaction and commitment suggest that the relationships of locus of control with the organizational constructs are less simple than previously thought.     

职业延迟满足研究述评

职业延迟满足强调人们为了实现长期职业目标, 克服职业生涯中即时满足的冲动和诱惑的选择倾向, 并为审视和解释个体职业生涯发展提供了新的视角。国外研究者一般从工作伦理的范畴来考察职业延迟满足, 而在中国, 职业延迟满足则成为一个明确的组织行为学概念得以发展。虽然国内外研究者从个体、组织和社会等多个层面考察了职业延迟满足的相关因素及其效果, 但由于该领域的研究起步较晚, 现有研究并不深入。未来应重点关注职业延迟满足的本土化研究、概念发展、测量方法的改进, 并纵向研究其对个体职业成长的影响机制与效果。     

Measurement of Delay of Gratification

To determine if psychoanalytic and social learning theorists are referring to the same phenomenon when they speak of "delay of gratification", 26 college undergraduates were divided into high and low groups on the basis of their scores on a "money-spending" questionnaire (a social learning measure). The difference between these two groups with respect to Rorschach M responses (the psychoanalytic measure) was nonsignificant. It was suggested that psychoanalytic and social learning theorists are probably referring to different phenomena when they speak of "delay of gratification."     

米契尔关于满足延宕的研究

满足延宕是非常重要的自我控制行为,本文主要介绍米契尔在这方面的研究,涉及到了满足延宕的研究模式、影响个体做出延宕选择的因素、注意转移和认知表征对延宕过程的影响、儿童关于延宕的元认知发展、早期延宕行为与多年后个体的认知能力、社会应对技能的相关性研究、双重系统结构的理论,并分析了米契尔的研究对当今儿童教育的启示。     

儿童自我延迟满足的视觉认知

采用眼动研究方法,以儿童的延迟等待时间及眼动特征为指标,通过两个实验考察儿童在自我延迟满足情境中的注意分配策略及自我延迟满足能力发展的年龄特点。实验结果表明：偏爱策略能促进学前儿童的自我延迟满足;小学1、2年级儿童的自我延迟满足能力显著高于学前儿童;延迟奖励物的彩色照片比黑白照片更有利于儿童的延迟等待;眼动方法是延迟满足研究的有效方法     

初中学生学业延迟满足

采用问卷法,从自我调控学习的角度对208名初中学生学业延迟满足进行研究。研究发现不同目标取向对学业延迟满足有不同影响,任务取向对学业延迟满足有积极影响,趋向型自我取向对学业延迟满足有负面作用。学业延迟满足作为一种自我调控能力,能够预测学生在学习过程中元认知策略的运用情况,但对学业成绩无显著影响。     

组织职业生涯管理对职业承诺和工作满意度的影响 ——职业延迟满足的中介作用分析

以321名企业员工为被试,通过自编的职业延迟满足问卷,考察了企业员工的职业延迟满足在组织职业生涯管理对职业承诺、工作满意度影响过程中的中介作用。结果表明：职业延迟满足与组织职业生涯管理、职业承诺、工作满意度存在显著正相关;工作年限等人口统计学变量对职业延迟满足没有显著的预测作用;公平晋升、注重培训对职业延迟满足有显著的预测作用;职业延迟满足在组织职业生涯管理对职业承诺、工作满意度影响过程中存在中介作用;在结构方程模型中,职业延迟满足在公平晋升、注重培训与职业承诺、工作满意度之间存在中介作用;而职业延迟满足在职业发展与职业承诺、工作满意度之间不存在中介作用     

Gender Differences in Delay of Gratification: A Meta-Analysis

A series of meta-analyses were conducted to test Bjorklund and Kipp's hypothesis that due to selection pressures operating during evolution, women and girls are better able than men and boys to delay gratification (Bjorklund & Kipp, 1996). A total of 38 effect sizes were derived from 33 studies in which participants made one or more choices between a small (or less preferred) immediate reward and a large (or more preferred) delayed reward. Overall, there was a small female advantage (r = .058). Further analyses revealed that the female advantage was larger when continuous measures (r = .096) rather than dichotomous measures were used (r = .021). No evidence was found for the gender gap changing systematically with age. Discussion focuses primarily on alternative explanations for the gender difference found here. Consideration is also given to how the female advantage in delay of gratification might be reflected in real-life situations.     

The Psychology of Voluntary Employee Turnover

ABSTRACT— Most research on voluntary turnover has focused on dissatisfaction-induced and rational decisionmaking processes, with some attention paid to external market influences. This focus leaves unexplained a large portion of the variance in why people choose to quit a job. Recently, however, researchers are considering the alternative ways that the turnover process is enacted, as well as what businesses can do to prevent turnover.     

学前儿童延迟满足的实验研究方法述评

延迟满足之所以能够发展成为一个相对独立的概念结构,在很大程度上取决于研究方法的突破。学前儿童延迟满足研究领域目前有三种典型的实验研究方法,即自我延迟方法、外加延迟方法和礼物延迟方法,这些研究方法对于延迟满足研究起到了十分重要的作用。但这些研究方法似乎都忽略了延迟满足过程中的一种重要的心理过程——价值评判。儿童之所以愿意忍耐长时等待,是因为他们做出了符合自己需要的选择,这一选择过程在延迟满足过程中具有重要的作用。基于延迟满足中的价值评判,尝试性地提出了对延迟满足研究方法的初步改进方案。     

Delay of Gratification: Mothers' Predictions About Four Attentional Techniques

Mothers' predictions about the ability of their own children to delay gratification using different techniques were investigated. Fifty-one mothers of children 4 to 6 years old were asked to evaluate distraction, thinking about the incentive, tasting the incentive, and a control. These conditions were derived from the research of Mischel and his associates (1974), who demonstrated the effectiveness of distraction in aiding children's delay behavior. Parents were predicted to expect delay to be enhanced by the distraction technique and hampered by the thinking about the incentive and tasting the incentive techniques, with the latter being the least effective. Contrary to our predictions, mothers failed to predict effectiveness of distraction compared with the two incentive-focused techniques. Reasons are advanced for more research on parents' knowledge and valuing of metacognitive strategies appropriate for their children.     

Parental Contributions to the Delay of Gratification in Preschool-aged Children

Delay of gratification in young children has been linked to long-term behavioral and academic outcomes. This study explored parent behavior during a laboratory paradigm as possible associates of delay ability. The sample consisted of 50 two- and three-year-old children and their primary caregivers. A newly created laboratory task, the gift delay task, was conducted to assess delay of gratification. Additionally, parents completed a child temperament (EASI-III) questionnaire. Based on the award-oriented behavior in the gift delay task, children were classified into three groups: delay (20 %), touch and go (i.e., approached the gift, but demonstrated some delay ability; 46 %), and non delay (34 %). Likewise, parents were classified into three groups: non-directive (parents did not initiate any interactions, but may have participated in child-led activity), active (parents initiated interaction with the child no more than 3 times), and very active (parents initiated 4 or more interactions with the child). Significant differences in emotionality and impulsivity were found between the 3 groups of children; additionally, significant differences in delay ability were found based on parent classifications suggesting that there is an optimal level of involvement on part of the parent that helps the child to wait, but beyond this point, involvement may be detrimental to a successful delay outcome. Implications for behavioral interventions focused on parental support and scaffolding are discussed.     

幼儿气质与其自我延迟满足能力的关系

采用实验室实验观察和问卷法相结合的方法,考察幼儿气质与其自我延迟满足能力的关系.研究结果表明:(1)儿童气质与自我延迟满足能力发展有密切关系.(2)负情绪水平低,坚持性好和冲动性低的儿童自我延迟满足能力的发展较好.活动性水平高的儿童自我延迟满足的能力较差.(3)修订的TAB-R量表有较好的信度和效度,可以用来测定与自我控制相关的研究.     

延迟满足：基于未来时间洞察力的自我调节

延迟满足是个体为获得更有价值的奖励结果,坚持目标行为而推迟即时性满足的倾向与行为。其产生机制在很大程度上基于未来取向的自我调节。未来时间洞察力对延迟满足的作用可由期望-价值理论、解释水平理论和自我调节周期模型等多种理论进行解释。除行为层面的机制,未来时间洞察力与延迟满足涉及腹侧额叶-纹状体环路等相似的脑机制。未来研究需深化和丰富延迟满足的理论机制,明确与时间洞察力各维度的复杂关系,探究与时间洞察力相同的生理神经机制,促进其应用于社会实践。     

冲击事件对员工主动离职的影响

冲击事件(shocks)指激发员工主动离职心理决策过程的具体事件。国外学者主要从冲击事件各维度间的关系和各维度与离职路径的关系两个方面研究冲击事件对主动离职的影响, 实证研究表明冲击事件对员工主动离职有显著影响。针对现有研究的不足, 未来研究可以从明晰冲击事件, 优化研究方法, 细分研究对象, 加强冲击事件本土化研究等方面进行探索。     

The Gist of Delay of Gratification: Understanding and Predicting Problem Behaviors

Delay of gratification captures elements of temptation and self‐denial that characterize real‐life problems with money and other problem behaviors such as unhealthy risk taking. According to fuzzy‐trace theory, decision makers mentally represent social values such as delay of gratification in a coarse but meaningful form of memory called “gist.” Applying this theory, we developed a gist measure of delay of gratification that does not involve quantitative trade‐offs (as delay discounting does) and hypothesize that this construct explains unique variance beyond sensation seeking and inhibition in accounting for problem behaviors. Across four studies, we examine this Delay‐of‐gratification Gist Scale by using principal components analyses and evaluating convergent and divergent validity with other potentially related scales such as Future Orientation, Propensity to Plan, Time Perspectives Inventory, Spendthrift‐Tightwad, Sensation Seeking, Cognitive Reflection, Barratt Impulsiveness, and the Monetary Choice Questionnaire (delay discounting). The new 12‐item measure captured a single dimension of delay of gratification, correlated as predicted with other scales, but accounted for unique variance in predicting such outcomes as overdrawing bank accounts, substance abuse, and overall subjective well‐being. Results support a theoretical distinction between reward‐related approach motivation, including sensation seeking, and inhibitory faculties, including cognitive reflection. However, individuals' agreement with the qualitative gist of delay of gratification, as expressed in many cultural traditions, could not be reduced to such dualist distinctions nor to quantitative conceptions of delay discounting, shedding light on mechanisms of self‐control and risk taking. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

HIV Locus of Control and Adaptation to Seropositivity1

The role of HIV locus of control in adaptation to HIV disease was evaluated in a sample of 588 military medical beneficiaries with predominantly asymptomatic, early stage HIV infection. Cluster analysis yielded 4 configurations of HIV locus of control, with high levels of depression related to a cluster where internal and powerful others control were highly endorsed. External attributions of control generally appeared more adaptive. Results are discussed in relation to Rotter's social learning theory and its implications for adaptive aspects of locus of control.     

Perceptions of Organizational Politics and Employee Citizenship Behaviors: Conscientiousness and Self-monitoring as Moderators

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to examine the joint moderating effects of employees’ conscientiousness and self-monitoring on the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and organizational citizenship behaviors.

Design/Methodology/Approach

Data were collected from 139 subordinate–supervisor dyads through networks of business contacts and university alums of a university in the Midwest US.

Findings

We found a significant three-way interaction between perceived politics, conscientiousness, and self-monitoring in predicting citizenship behaviors. High self-monitoring alleviated the negative effects of politics perceptions on the OCB of highly conscientious employees. Conversely, perceived politics was negatively related to the OCB of employees who reported having either low self-monitoring and high conscientiousness or high self-monitoring and low conscientiousness.

Implications

Our results advance the theoretical understanding of the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and citizenship behaviors by integrating the occupational stress perspective with social exchange theory within the socio-analytic framework. Evidence suggests that employees with certain combinations of traits (e.g., low self-monitoring and high conscientiousness or high self-monitoring and low conscientiousness) were particularly susceptible to the negative effects of perceived politics. This knowledge may help practitioners identify training needs or motivational strategies to help alleviate the negative effects of perceived politics on employee citizenship behaviors.

Originality/Value

This study is one of the few that took a holistic person-oriented approach when examining the moderating effects of individual traits on the linkages between perceived politics and citizenship behaviors. In addition, we utilized supervisor ratings of citizenship behaviors to overcome concerns associated with common source bias.