A NEURAL SYSTEM FOR ERROR DETECTION AND COMPENSATION

Abstract— Humans can monitor actions and compensate for errors. Analysis of the human event-related brain potentials (ERPs) accompanying errors provides evidence for a neural process whose activity is specifically associated with monitoring and compensating for erroneous behavior. This error-related activity is enhanced when subjects strive for accurate performance but is diminished when response speed is emphasized at the expense of accuracy. The activity is also related to attempts to compensate for the erroneous behavior.     

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A COMPUTERIZED INTERPRETATION SYSTEM FOR PERSONNEL TESTS

A computerized system was developed for generating narrative interpretations of scores from a battery of personnel screening tests. The report structure and interpretive statement library were designed to capture the test expertise and interpretive strategies of a panel of testing experts. This was accomplished by enumerating the questions that the experts believed the battery could answer, developing answers to these questions, and devising rules for selecting the appropriate answers based on test-battery scores. The accuracy, thoroughness, readability, and coherence of the computer-generated reports were evaluated in comparison to reports generated by human experts for the same examinees. Results of the evaluation showed the computerized reports to be more accurate and thorough, as readable, and somewhat less coherent than interpretations generated by the typical human expert. The computerized system development and validation strategies described are useful for other applications in which numbers are interpreted in a narrative report format.     

CONCEPTUAL INTEGRATION AND EMPIRICAL TEST OF JOB DESIGN AND COMPENSATION RELATIONSHIPS

A conceptual integration of job design and compensation draws on interdisciplinary job design, job evaluation, and labor economic theory. It is argued that job design influences the number and level of skills required and the degree to which jobs are physically aversive or hazardous. External labor markets also respond to skill and physical requirements. Job evaluation links job design and market forces by analyzing jobs'compensable factors that reflect these requirements, and then relating them to the market through wage surveys across firms. An empirical examination presents relationships between job design and pay or job evaluation measures. Strongly supportive results replicate in two separate samples (total n = 213 jobs) which differ in industries, job types, skill levels, job design measures, job evaluation measures, and labor markets. Motivational job design had higher job evaluation measures reflecting higher skill requirements, and mechanistic and perceptual/motor design had lower evaluation measures reflecting lower skill requirements. Biological design had lower evaluation measures reflecting physical requirements.     

A TOKEN SYSTEM FOR A CLASS OF UNDERACHIEVING HYPERACTIVE CHILDREN

Using a BAB design, a token system requiring cooperative interaction was used to change the reading and vocabulary performance of an 18-member class of third-grade hyperactive boys. Four different colored tokens, which could be exchanged for 15 minutes of play on electrovideo games, were earned by successful completion of two tasks that involved learning to read and to use new vocabulary words in sentences, and two tasks in which the student served as a proctor to a student who had not yet completed those tasks. The mean number of tasks completed during the intervention periods rose to over nine times the number completed during reversal. Additionally, the average completion rate for the school district's standardized weekly reading level examinations rose from four to eight fold during the token conditions. All 18 students responded to the token program by increasing their academic performance.     

TESTICULAR SELF-EXAMINATION: VALIDATION OF A TRAINING STRATEGY FOR EARLY CANCER DETECTION

Testicular self-examination (TSE) can lead to early diagnosis and treatment of testicular cancer, the third leading cause of death in young men. We evaluated the effectiveness of a brief and specific checklist for teaching TSE skills. Ten men were videotaped while performing testicular self-examinations before and after training. The TSE training resulted in large and significant increases in the number of TSE steps completed and duration of the TSE. Two urological validation measures supported the improvements observed in the mens' self-examinations. Subjects reported continued performance of TSE during a follow-up telephone interview. This pilot study indicates that a brief and specific checklist is an effective strategy for teaching early cancer detection skills.     

ORGANIZATION OF INFORMATION AND THE DETECTION OF GENDER DISCRIMINATION

Abstract— This report examines several factors that influence the detection of gender discrimination in organizations We presented subjects with information about the qualifications and salaries of women and men in 10 departments of a hypothetical company The information was created so that one or the other gender was undercompensated relative to its qualifications Subjects rated the fairness of salaries and recalled the average qualifications of the women and men Ordinal inequity, which occurred when the gender with the better qualifications received a lower salary within a department, was easily detected Discrimination that did not violate ordinal equity within a department was more difficult to detect The results indicate that the way information is presented to subjects influences the processing of the information and the ease with which unfairness is perceived In addition, subjects judged the discrimination to be more unfair when women, rather than men, were disadvantaged     

DETERMINANTS OF R AND D COMPENSATION STRATEGIES IN THE HIGH TECH INDUSTRY

This study indicates that sales volume, stage in the product life cycle, profitability and turnover are all important predictors of the method and magnitude of financial rewards provided by high tech firms to R and D employees. The most favorable situational factors for R and D incentive compensation are a low sales volume high tech company, operating in the growth stage of the product life cycle, with high turnover rates, and capable of linking profitability to incentive rewards such as bonuses.     

DETECTION OF DECEPTION IN THE EMPLOYMENT CONTEXT: A REVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Empirical research on the validity of the polygraph, voice stress analysis, and paper and pencil instruments as mechanisms for the detection of deception is reviewed. It is noted that while these devices have their greatest use in the employment context, virtually all research has been done in an actual or simulated criminal investigation context. Three separate uses of devices for the detection of deception in the employment context are identified, namely, pre-employment screening, periodic screening of current employees, and investigation into a specific theft. Differences between each of these uses and the criminal investigation context are identified, and issues limiting the generalizability of research findings from one context to another are raised. Among the issues are the effects of a low base rate of guilt on accuracy, the effects of making multiple judgments on overall accuracy, and the potential for racial or ethnic bias in judgments of guilt or innocence.     

COMPARISONS OF MANAGERIAL AND EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION WITH A PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEM

Questionnaires were administered to managers and employees in a large multinational corporation to assess satisfaction with various aspects of a performance appraisal system. Comparisons of managers' and employees' satisfaction were made by conducting factor analyses for each sample. The results indicate moderate similarity between the two groups. However, two significant differences were revealed by the analysis. First, there is evidence that employees perceive certain aspects of the appraisal system in a global way, whereas managers differentiate among various components and see them as distinct entities. Second, the relative importance of the factors differs between the two groups. The largest portion of variance accounted for in the employee sample pertained to general satisfaction with the system whereas for managers it pertained to the types of ratings made on the appraisal form. The results are discussed in terms of the different perspectives managers and employees have in the appraisal process.     

A BEHAVIORAL SYSTEM FOR ASSESSING AND TRAINING CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION SKILLS AMONG EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS

Many deaths from cardiopulmonary arrest can be prevented by the prompt and effective administration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In this study, we examined the standard training program for teaching CPR to emergency medical technicians (EMTs). We developed an alternative experimental program whereby the behaviors involved in CPR were assessed easily and in greater detail. This assessment provided the basis for a system in which effective CPR skills were reinforced and problems were corrected. Subjects who were trained in CPR according to this experimental program performed more effectively than subjects in the standard program. In addition, retention (maintenance) measures indicated that experimental subjects continued to perform well, often more effectively than professionally employed EMTs.     

负性事件引发情绪反应的性别特点及神经机制

选取45名大学本科生为被试,记录被试观看内容不同的刺激材料时主观情绪体验成绩,同时采集了心率变异性(HRV)的频域指标,探讨内容不同的负性事件引发情绪反应的性别特点及外周神经机制.结果:在主观报告上,女性所诱发的负性情绪显著高于男性.社会事件的情绪材料所引发的负性情绪显著高于家庭事件的情绪材料.在生理指标上,女性在负性事件中引起的LF/HF显著高于男性.因此,负性事件后男性和女性情绪反应在主观应激强度和生理反应模式上差异显著.     

A PROPOSAL FOR THE CREATION OF A HUMAN AND COMPUTER METALANGUAGE

Since the beginning of the last century, with the development of the Theory of Relativity, an ever-growing gap has come into being between our knowledge about the structure of the world around us and our ability to conceptualize it. Because language plays a major role in our ability to describe the world and our role within it, a need has been created to match the capabilities of language to the knowledge we currently possess about the world we inhabit. This article will focus on two main arguments: (A) our ability to describe and conceptualize the world using a language that is limited, problematic and finite and (B) The possibility of developing a new language based on other principles than those governing verbal speech, which can deal with these limitations and problems and which is better suited to describing the world as we know it today.