Evaluation of publication bias in response interruption and redirection: A meta-analysis

Publication bias is the disproportionate representation of studies with large effects and statistically significant findings in the published research literature. If publication bias occurs in single-case research design studies on applied behavior-analytic (ABA) interventions, it can result in inflated estimates of ABA intervention effects. We conducted an empirical evaluation of publication bias on an evidence-based ABA intervention for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, response interruption and redirection (RIRD). We determined effect size estimates for published and unpublished studies using 3 metrics, percentage of nonoverlapping data (PND), Hedges' g, and log response ratios (LRR). Omnibus effect size estimates across all 3 metrics were positive, supporting that RIRD is an effective treatment for reducing problem behavior maintained by nonsocial consequences. We observed larger PND for published compared to unpublished studies, small and nonsignificant differences in LRR for published compared to unpublished studies, and significant differences in Hedges' g for published compared to unpublished studies, with published studies showing slightly larger effect. We found little, if any, difference in methodological quality between published and unpublished studies. While RIRD appears to be an effective intervention for challenging behavior maintained by nonsocial consequences, our results reflect some degree of publication bias present in the RIRD research literature.     

The half-life of cognitive-affective states during complex learning

We investigated the temporal dynamics of students’ cognitive-affective states (confusion, frustration, boredom, engagement/flow, delight, and surprise) during deep learning activities. After a learning session with an intelligent tutoring system with conversational dialogue, the cognitive-affective states of the learner were classified by the learner, a peer, and two trained judges at approximately 100 points in the tutorial session. Decay rates for the cognitive-affective states were estimated by fitting exponential curves to time series of affect responses. The results partially confirmed predictions of goal-appraisal theories of emotion by supporting a tripartite classification of the states along a temporal dimension: persistent states (boredom, engagement/flow, and confusion), transitory states (delight and surprise), and an intermediate state (frustration). Patterns of decay rates were generally consistent across affect judges, except that a reversed actor–observer effect was discovered for engagement/flow and frustration. Correlations between decay rates of the cognitive-affective states and several learning measures confirmed the major predictions and uncovered some novel findings that have implications for theories of pedagogy that integrate cognition and affect during deep learning.     

The Fortune 500 Companies' Selection Criteria for Promotion to First Level Sales Management: An Empirical Study

Since marketing, and particularly selling activities, determine the sources and size of a company's revenue, factors which vitally affect sales force performance are matters of crucial importance to corporate management.

Predicting how a newly appointed first level sales manager will perform in the new leadership task remains a difficult problem and the determination and use of selection criteria appears not to be clearly defined in the literature. Previous research has identified desirable attributes as selection criteria though typically these are neither ranked in importance nor as attributes that “can be developed later through training/experience” or be “innate to the person selected.” This research focused upon the selection criteria and practices of the Fortune 500 companies in selecting/appointing their first level sales managers. The results revealed that (i) the Fortune 500 human resource managers are in agreement with the findings of previous research with regard to which personality and character traits are crucial pre-requisites to good sales management performance; (ii) a surprisingly small number of firms use psychological batteries/tests or qualified psychologists to measure these traits; and (iii) turnover rates, not due to promotion, among first level sales managers appear to be high.     

How Do Educational Attainment and Occupational and Wage-Earner Statuses Affect Life Satisfaction? A Gender Perspective Study

The main objective of this paper is to analyze the impact of education on life satisfaction once indirect effects through income, health, participation in the workforce or professional status are controlled for. The focus is placed on gender differences, thus studying whether the effects of education on life satisfaction differ for women and men and whether occupational variables and the individual’s role in the household may mediate this relationship. Among the results, we find that gender differences in life satisfaction tend to disappear when account is taken of the individuals’ role as primary wage earner in the household. Regarding education, our results suggest that its impact on satisfaction with life differs for women and men: both direct and indirect effects of education are found for women whereas no direct effects of education appear in the case of men, but only indirect effects through enhanced job opportunities and professional status.     

The time course of similarity effects in visual search

It is well established that visual search becomes harder when the similarity between target and distractors is increased and the similarity between distractors is decreased. However, in models of visual search, similarity is typically treated as a static, time-invariant property of the relation between objects. Data from other perceptual tasks (e.g., categorization) demonstrate that similarity is dynamic and changes as perceptual information is accumulated (Lamberts, 1998). In three visual search experiments, the time course of target-distractor similarity effects and distractor-distractor similarity effects was examined. A version of the extended generalized context model (EGCM; Lamberts, 1998) provided a good account of the time course of the observed similarity effects, supporting the notion that similarity in search is dynamic. Modeling also indicated that increasing distractor homogeneity influences both perceptual and decision processes by (respectively) increasing the rate at which stimulus features are processed and enabling strategic weighting of stimulus information.     

Academic perceptions of the research evidence base in work and organizational psychology: A European perspective

There has been a growing interest in evidence‐based management. A core component is a body of high‐quality research evidence to inform practice. Initial research with human resource managers in the United States and the Netherlands reveals only modest knowledge about a number of ‘widely documented’ research findings. However, it is unclear whether research experts would display any greater agreement about the research evidence. The present study addresses this issue by exploring levels of agreement about the quality of the research evidence base in work and organizational (W/O) psychology using a pan‐European sample of 75 senior academic W/O psychologists who completed two rounds of a study, first identifying core findings in the field of W/O psychology and then reporting levels of agreement about them. The results show that there were only seven of 24 core findings on which over 75% agreed that there was good‐quality evidence. The challenges of developing and utilizing an evidence‐based approach are discussed and it is concluded, in agreement with Briner and Rousseau (2011a), that there is some way to go before W/O psychologists can begin to feel confident about the quality of much of their research evidence.     

Disclosures. Conversations Gay and Spiritual – Michael Ford

Book reviewed:
Disclosures. Conversations Gay and Spiritual , Michael Ford, Cowley Publications 2005 (1-56101-228-9), 216 pp., pb $14.95