Faking propensity and faking-related change: A model-based analysis of the EPQ-R scores

Although change scores in a measure administered under neutral and faking-motivating conditions have become a main choice to operationalize faking, there are still some non-resolved issues on the results they provide. The present study uses a two-wave two-group design with a control group to assess three of these issues: (a) the role of individual differences in the amount of faking-induced change, (b) the relation between Impression Management (IM) scores under neutral conditions and change scores, and (c) the convergent validity of change scores as a requisite to view them as measures of an individual-difference variable. A Spanish translation of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised was administered twice to 489 undergraduate students under standard-standard instructions (N = 215) and under standard-faking-good instructions (N = 274). For the P, N, and Lie scales, the results showed that the role of individual differences was very relevant and that the only common variable underlying the scores was a general factor of faking-induced change. However, the IM scores were unable to predict effective change.     

Peripheral and foveal segmentation of angle textures

Studies of the effects of retinal eccentricity on the visual segmentation of textures are presented. The textures used in these studies were composed of angle elements. These were presented tachistoscopically to college students in three different experiments. Results showed that there were different relationships between segmentation performance and eccentricity, depending on the width of the angles used in the background and target texture. One major difference was that peak performance was found in the fovea in some conditions, and in peripheral areas in other conditions. Performance in the fovea and the periphery seemed to be determined by qualitatively different features. It was assumed that an appropriate explanation is that the system-internal representation of a specific stimulus within the early visual system differs as a function of the retinal location at which it is projected. Thus, the critical features discriminating between target and background texture have to be sought in the system-internal representation of the stimulus instead of in the stimulus itself. The data show that a relatively exact system-internal representation of the stimulus is present in the fovea, where performance is determined by angle width. In the periphery, in contrast, angles seem to be represented as “blobs,” and performance is determined by the orientation of the blobs’ main axes.     

A central performance drop with luminance stimuli requiring spatial integration

This study reports four experiments that analyzed detection performance for luminance contrasts as a function of retinal eccentricity in order to find further support and explanations for the central performance drop (CPD) in the fovea. In the first experiment, 10 participants (16-37 years of age) had to detect a target patch in a stimulus consisting of bright and dark pixels. Luminance differences between target and context areas were achieved by placing a different number of bright (and dark) pixels in the target and the context area. Results showed a marked CPD; that is, performance did not peak in the fovea but in the parafovea. A spatial integration hypothesis was proposed to explain this CPD. Alternative explanations were tested in three further experiments with a total of 28 participants from 19-46 years of age (using the decision criterion effect, the selective masking effect, and inhibition by high frequencies). The findings did not contradict the spatial-integration hypothesis.     

What results when firms implement practices: the differential relationship between specific practices, firm financial performance, customer service, and quality

Previous research on organizational practices is replete with contradictory evidence regarding their effects. Here, the authors argue that these contradictory findings may have occurred because researchers have often examined complex practice combinations and have failed to investigate a broad variety of firm-level outcomes. Thus, past research may obscure important differential effects of specific practices on specific firm-level outcomes. Extending this research, the authors develop hypotheses about the effects of practices that (a) enable information sharing, (b) set boundaries, and (c) enable teams on 3 different firm-level outcomes: financial performance, customer service, and quality. Relationships are tested in a sample of observations from over 200 Fortune 1000 firms. Results indicate that information-sharing practices were positively related to financial performance 1 year following implementation of the practices, boundary-setting practices were positively related to firm-level customer service, and team-enabling practices were related to firm-level quality. No single set of practices predicted all 3 firm-level outcomes, indicating practice-specific effects. These findings help resolve the theoretical tension in the literature regarding the effects of organizational practices and offer guidance as to how to best target practices to increase specific work-related outcomes. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.     

AULA virtual reality test as an attention measure: Convergent validity with Conners’ Continuous Performance Test

The majority of neuropsychological tests used to evaluate attention processes in children lack ecological validity. The AULA Nesplora (AULA) is a continuous performance test, developed in a virtual setting, very similar to a school classroom. The aim of the present study is to analyze the convergent validity between the AULA and the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) of Conners. The AULA and CPT were administered correlatively to 57 children, aged 6–16 years (26.3% female) with average cognitive ability (IQ mean = 100.56, SD = 10.38) who had a diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) according to DSM-IV-TR criteria. Spearman correlations analyses were conducted among the different variables. Significant correlations were observed between both tests in all the analyzed variables (omissions, commissions, reaction time, and variability of reaction time), including for those measures of the AULA based on different sensorial modalities, presentation of distractors, and task paradigms. Hence, convergent validity between both tests was confirmed. Moreover, the AULA showed differences by gender and correlation to Perceptual Reasoning and Working Memory indexes of the WISC-IV, supporting the relevance of IQ measures in the understanding of cognitive performance in ADHD. In addition, the AULA (but not Conners’ CPT) was able to differentiate between ADHD children with and without pharmacological treatment for a wide range of measures related to inattention, impulsivity, processing speed, motor activity, and quality of attention focus. Additional measures and advantages of the AULA versus Conners’ CPT are discussed.