A Sensemaking Approach to Ethics Training for Scientists: Preliminary Evidence of Training Effectiveness

In recent years, we have seen a new concern with ethics training for research and development professionals. Although ethics training has become more common, the effectiveness of the training being provided is open to question. In the present effort, a new ethics training course was developed that stresses the importance of the strategies people apply to make sense of ethical problems. The effectiveness of this training was assessed in a sample of 59 doctoral students working in the biological and social sciences using a pre–post design with follow-up and a series of ethical decision-making measures serving as the outcome variable. Results showed not only that this training led to sizable gains in ethical decision making but also that these gains were maintained over time. The implications of these findings for ethics training in the sciences are discussed.     

UMaps: A Person—Environment Approach to Helping Students Make Critical Choices

UMaps organize campus opportunities into meaningful subenvironments, making options more attractive and accessible to students in order to increase their participation.     

Activating Effects of Resources Relative to Threat and Responsibility in Person‐Relative‐to‐Event Theory of Coping With Threat: An Educational Application1

Person‐relative‐to‐event (PrE) theory is a general theory of coping with threat that emphasizes the relationship between level of appraised threat relative to level of appraised person resources, and personal responsibility (Duval & Mulilis, 1999; Mulilis & Duval, 1995, 1997, in press; Mulilis, Duval, & Bovalino, 2000; Mulilis, Duval, & Rombach, 2001). While the theory has assumed that level of personal responsibility moderates the effects of appraised levels of resources relative to threat, nevertheless it also has been suggested (Mulilis & Duval, 1997) that these processes might, in fact, occur in an independent and parallel manner. Alternatively, Brickman (1987) suggested that a person attributes responsibility for the solution of a problem to self only to the extent that the person perceives that he or she is in control of future events surrounding the problem. Using an academic assessment as the threatening event, the present study was conducted to test these competing assumptions in the context of an educational setting. Results of this investigation support the previous suggestion of the authors that personal responsibility and resources relative to threat appear to operate as independent and parallel cognitive processes in PrE theory. Implications of these results for improved academic performance are discussed.     

Exploring the Moderating Roles of Perceived Person–Job Fit and Person–Organisation Fit on the Relationship between Training Investment and Knowledge Workers' Turnover Intentions

Previous studies have documented inconsistent results in terms of the relationship between knowledge workers' perceived training investment and their turnover intentions. In order to clarify the inconsistencies, the present study extends previous research by exploring the moderating roles of perceived demand–ability (D–A) job fit and person–organisation (P–O) fit. Data were collected from 303 research and development (R&D) engineers from 30 high‐technology firms in Taiwan. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test the hypotheses. The results show that perceived D–A fit, P–O fit, and perceived training investment interact jointly to predict knowledge workers' turnover intentions. Specifically, while the main effect of perceived training investment on turnover intentions was negative, under situations of extremely high perceived D–A fit and extremely low P–O fit, the relationship between knowledge workers' perceived training investment and their turnover intentions became positive, and under situations of low perceived D–A fit and high P–O fit, the relationship between knowledge workers' perceived training investment and their turnover intentions remained negative. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed. Les études antérieures ont donné des résultats contradictoires quant aux relations entre la connaissance que les salariés perçoivent de l’investissement dans la formation et leurs intentions de changer. Dans le but de clarifier ces incohérences, la présente étude prend la suite de recherches antérieures en explorant les rôles modérateurs de la compatibilité perçue entre la compétence et les nécessités au travail (DA) et de la compatibilité entre la personne prise dans sa globalité et les caractéristiques de l’organisation qui l’emploie (PO). Les données ont été collectées auprès de 303 ingénieurs en recherche et développement (R&D) de 30 entreprises de haute technologie à Taiwan. Des analyses de régression hiérarchique ont conduit à tester les hypothèses. Les résultats montrent que la compatibilité D‐A, la compatibilité P‐O et l’investissement perçu dans la formation interagissent conjointement pour prédire les intentions de changement des employés. Plus spécifiquement, alors que le principal effet de l’investissement perçu dans la formation sur les intentions de changement est négatif, dans des conditions de compatibilité D‐A perçue comme étant basse et de compatibilité P‐O haute, la relation entre la connaissance que les salariés perçoivent de l’investissement dans la formation et leurs intentions de changement reste négative. Les implications théoriques et pratiques sont aussi discutées.     

Threat and Right‐Wing Attitudes: A Cross‐National Approach

Threat relates to right‐wing ideological attitudes at the individual level. The present study aims to extend this relationship to the national level. More specifically, in a sample of 91 nations, we collected country‐level indicators of threat (including inflation, unemployment, gross national product, homicide rate, and life expectancy). Moreover, we analyzed data from the European and World Value Survey (total N = 134,516) to obtain aggregated country‐level indicators for social‐cultural and economic‐hierarchical right‐wing attitudes for each of these countries. In accordance with previous findings based on the individual level, a positive relationship between threat indicators and right‐wing attitudes emerged. This relationship was stronger than what was usually reported at the individual level. In the discussion, we focus on the mutually reinforcing influence at the individual and national levels in terms of right‐wing attitudes.     

The “Healthy Person”: A Review

Two general approaches in the analysis of a “healthy” person were identified as (1) operational and (2) conceptual. Criterion problems seem crucial in the former, while in the latter, semantic and value problems are to be resolved. Consideration might profitably be given to, first, the concept of dynamic equilibrium or active adaptation (assimilation and accommodation) and, second, to that of developmental mastery of tasks along the “dimension of depth” and toward discovery of the meaning of life and of man's position in the universe. Such a model implies client's exploration of his existence in the world in the perspective of a continuous life process. Both being and becoming can and should be of legitimate concern to mental health workers.     

Inter‐Relationships among Different Types of Person–Environment Fit and Job Satisfaction

This paper investigates how different types of person–environment (P–E) fit work together to influence job satisfaction. One field study and a re‐analysis of Cable and DeRue's (2002) data were conducted to investigate the inter‐relationships linking different types of fit perceptions and job satisfaction. An employment relationship model describing how person–organisation values congruence (OVC), demands–abilities (D–A), and needs–supplies (N–S) fit perceptions relate to each other and job satisfaction is proposed and tested. Results support a model where N–S fit mediated the impact of both OVC and D–A fit on job satisfaction. Furthermore, OVC was related also to satisfaction both directly and indirectly, whereas D–A fit was only related to satisfaction via N?S fit.     

The End of the Person–Situation Debate: An Emerging Synthesis in the Answer to the Consistency Question

We review the history and current status of the person–situation debate. We propose that the person–situation debate (1) is over and (2) that it ended in a ‘Hegelian’ synthesis. Specifically, we propose the following synthesis resolution: There are multiple types of consistency; behavior is consistent for some of those types and not for others; and personality and traits exist in the forms that produce the consistent behaviors. Incorporating both personality processes and trait structures in research will move personality research forward. In this article, we summarize the advances that the two perspectives have generated by working in opposition; we explain why both sides will suffer from continuing to work independently; and we anticipate several future directions that synthesis‐informed personality research can and should take.     

I'll Start My Diet Tomorrow: A Solution-Focused Approach to Weight Loss

This article illustrates through a personal case example how Solution-Focused Brief Therapy concepts can help people lose weight and keep it off.     

Seeing the Forest Beyond the Trees: A Construal‐Level Approach to Self‐Control

Self‐control failure is a ubiquitous and troubling problem people face. This article reviews psychological models of self‐control and describes a new integrative approach based on construal level theory (e.g., Trope & Liberman, 2003 ). This construal‐level perspective proposes that people's subjective mental construals or representations of events impacts self‐control. Specifically, more abstract, global (high‐level) construals promote self‐control success, whereas more concrete, local (low‐level) construals tend to lead to self‐control failure. That is, self‐control is promoted when people see the proverbial forest beyond the trees. This article surveys research findings that demonstrate that construing events at high‐level versus low‐level construals promotes self‐control. This article also discusses how a construal‐level perspective promotes understanding of self‐control failures.     

A Tripartite Approach to Right‐Wing Authoritarianism: The Authoritarianism‐Conservatism‐Traditionalism Model

Right‐Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) has been conceptualized and measured as a unidimensional personality construct comprising the covariation of the three traits of authoritarian submission, authoritarian aggression, and conventionalism. However, new approaches have criticized this conceptualization and instead viewed these three “traits” as three distinct, though related, social attitude dimensions. Here we extend this approach providing clear definitions of these three dimensions as ideological attitude constructs of Authoritarianism, Conservatism, and Traditionalism. These dimensions are seen as attitudinal expressions of basic social values or motivational goals that represent different, though related, strategies for attaining collective security at the expense of individual autonomy. We report data from five samples and three different countries showing that these three dimensions could be reliably measured and were factorially distinct. The three dimensions also differentially predicted interpersonal behaviour, social policy support, and political party support. It is argued that conceptualizing and measuring RWA as a set of three related ideological attitude dimensions may better explain complex sociopolitical phenomena than the currently dominant unidimensional personality based model.     

College‐Level Choice of Latino High School Students: A Social‐Cognitive Approach

Latino students attend 2‐year colleges more often than 4‐year colleges. This has an impact on the rate of bachelor's degree attainment, because the transfer rate between the 2 levels is low. The author uses national data to identify predictors associated with college‐level choice and then uses social‐cognitive career theory ( Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994 ) to frame counseling implications. Los estudiantes Latinos se matriculan con más frecuencia en estudios universitarios de 2 años que en estudios de 4 años. Esto produce un impacto en el porcentaje de obtención de licenciaturas, porque la tasa de transferencia entre ambos niveles es baja. El autor emplea datos a nivel nacional para identificar predictores asociados con la elección del nivel de estudios universitarios, y después emplea la teoría social cognitiva de las carreras ( Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994 ) para formular las implicaciones para la consejería.     

Predicting Prejudice from Religious Fundamentalism and Right‐Wing Authoritarianism: A Multiple‐Regression Approach

In a study designed to investigate the respective roles of religious fundamentalism and right‐wing authoritarianism as predictors of prejudice against racial minorities and homosexuals, participants (47 males, 91 females) responded to a series of questionnaire measures of these constructs. Data were analyzed using multiple regression. Consistent with previous research, authoritarianism was a significant and strong positive predictor of both forms of prejudice. With authoritarianism statistically controlled, however, fundamentalism emerged as a significant negative predictor of racial prejudice but a positive predictor of homosexual prejudice. In a second study, we conducted parallel multiple regressions using the correlations from two previously published studies. The Study 1 results were replicated exactly, except that fundamentalism was a nonsignificant predictor of homosexual prejudice. We interpret the results as evidence that Christian fundamentalism consists of a second major component other than authoritarianism—related to Christian belief content—that is inversely related to some forms of prejudice (including racial prejudice) but not others (e.g., homosexual prejudice).     

Second-Guessing Scientists and Engineers: Post Hoc Criticism and the Reform of Practice in Green Chemistry and Engineering

The article examines and extends work bringing together engineering ethics and Science and Technology Studies, which had built upon Diane Vaughan’s analysis of the Challenger shuttle accident as a test case. Reconsidering the use of her term “normalization of deviance,” the article argues for a middle path between moralizing against and excusing away engineering practices contributing to engineering disaster. To explore an illustrative pedagogical case and to suggest avenues for constructive research developing this middle path, it examines the emergence of green chemistry and green engineering. Green chemistry began when Paul Anastas and John Warner developed a set of new rules for chemical synthesis that sought to learn from missed opportunities to avoid environmental damage in the twentieth century, an approach that was soon extended to engineering as well. Examination of tacit assumptions about historical counterfactuals in recent, interdisciplinary discussions of green chemistry illuminate competing views about the field’s prospects. An integrated perspective is sought, addressing how both technical practice within chemistry and engineering and the influence of a wider “social movement” can play a role in remedying environmental problems.     

Beyond Assertiveness Training: A Problem-Solving Approach

Being assertive is not always sufficient. Assertiveness training models show shortcomings in those situations where assertiveness results in stalemates or conflicts, or both. Deadlocks may occur when antagonists demonstrate appropriate assertive behavior. Conflict management using problem-solving skills allows individuals to learn appropriate methods of dealing with conflictual or competitive situations. Two models that could be incorporated into the assertiveness training model are suggested for conflict management. An example illustrates the integration of assertiveness training and problem solving.     

Development of a Multidimensional Instrument of Person–Environment Fit: The Perceived Person–Environment Fit Scale (PPEFS)

This research identifies four challenges in the field of person–environment fit (PE fit): the multidimensionality of PE fit, the integration of fit theories, the simultaneous effects of the multiple dimensions, and the function of the dimensions. To address those challenges, we develop a theory‐driven and systematically validated multidimensional instrument, the Perceived Person–Environment Fit Scale (PPEFS), consisting of four measures: the Person–Job Fit Scale (PJFS), the Person–Organisation Fit Scale (POFS), the Person–Group Fit Scale (PGFS), and the Person–Supervisor Fit Scale (PSFS). Data are collected from 532 employees and 122 managers for two independent studies with multiple rater sources and multiple time points. A series of validation analyses and hypothesis tests reveals that the PPEFS measures have good psychometric properties (i.e. reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and criterion‐related validity) and exhibit incremental validity above and beyond Cable and DeRue's (2002) fit measures. Furthermore, the measures are reflected by a superordinate (vs. aggregate) construct of PE fit. Overall, the four different types of fit significantly predict in‐role behavior, job satisfaction, intent to quit, and organisational citizenship behavior (OCB), each explaining the greatest amount of variance in different outcomes. The PPEFS should prove useful in future research regarding PE fit.     

The Development of Person–Vocation Fit: A Longitudinal Study Among Young Employees

This two-phase panel study examines the development of the congruence between vocational interests and perceived skill requirements. Participants were 492 Dutch men and women between 18 and 26 years old, with a paid job in both phases. Three hypotheses inspired by the theory of work adjustment (Dawis and Lofquist 1984) and congruence theory (Holland 1992) were tested, using a composite index of fit proposed by Cronbach and Gleser (1953). The first hypothesis proposing that participants experiencing incongruence between their vocational interests and their perceived skill requirements are dissatisfied with their job was supported. The hypothesis that incongruence has a positive relationship with job change and a negative relationship with tenure was not confirmed. The expectation that the congruence between vocational interests and perceived skill requirements increases over time was confirmed. Furthermore, exploring determinants of change in vocational interests and perceived skill requirements, it was found that change in these domains was predicted by different variables, educational level being the only common factor. It is concluded that this study supports the longitudinal propositions of prevailing work-related person-environment fit theories.