Understanding Information Selection and Encoding from a Dynamic,Energy Saving,Evolved, Embodied,Embedded Perspective

This article uses the Dynamic Human Centric Communication Systems Theory to reconceptualize 4 selected attributes of attention from a human‐centric point of view. Information is defined with respect to its relationship in the environment to the human in terms of time and space. The 4 attributes considered are stability, imminence, motivational relevance, and task relevance. An experiment was conducted in which encoding was assessed using a signal detection analysis of a change detection task. Results supported the prediction that story and motivational relevance would have opposite effects on the encoding of stable information as a function of imminence. Differences in memory predictions made by traditional theoretical approaches and the DHCCST are discussed in light of the results of the experiment.     

The role of personality in the selection of a major: With and without vocational self-efficacy and interests

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of personality traits measured by the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ; [Tellegen, 2000] and [Tellegen and Waller, 2008]) in selecting educational majors. Personality traits were examined alone, and with the combination of Holland’s hexagonal confidence domains, as measured by the general confidence themes (GCT) of the Skills Confidence Inventory (SCI; Betz, Borgen, & Harmon, 2005), and Holland’s interest domains, as measured by the general occupational themes (GOTs) of the 2005 Strong Interest Inventory (SII; Donnay, Morris, Schaubhut, & Thompson, 2005). Personality traits significantly contributed to the discrimination of nine educational major families in a sample of 368 undergraduate decided students. When the set of confidence and interest scales was added to the personality traits, the conservative jack knife hit rate was almost doubled.     

Career Development Concepts: Significance and Utility

Trustees of four appropriate professional associations determined the relative value of significant career-development concepts from a preselected list. Comparisons among the trustee groups are made, composite data are reported, suggestions for using the rank-ordered concepts in research as an external criterion are provided, and ideas for incorporating the concepts as topics for group guidance classes are given.