Prospective Study on the Determinants of Repeat Attendance and Attendance Patterns in Breast Cancer Screening Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour

This prospective study, using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) as a theoretical framework, was carried out to identify the determinants of repeat attendance and attendance patterns in organised breast screening. A group of 2657 women filled out a baseline questionnaire, approximately 8 weeks after having been invited for an initial screening in the Dutch Breast Cancer Screening Programme. Data on actual attendance in second and third screening round were subsequently collected. Personal variables such as family history of breast cancer, breast cancer in someone close and fear of breast cancer were not related to repeat attendance. The TPB variables could explain approximately 17% of the variance in attendance in the second and third round. Maintenance behaviour (consistent attendance vs. dropout) was related to the TPB variables, but the amount of variance explained was only 6%. Initiation of behaviour (consistent refusal vs. delayed attendance) also was related to TPB variables, with a substantially higher amount of explained variance than with maintenance behaviour. Results indicate that the TPB variables are more related to the initiation of screening behaviour than to the maintenance of screening behaviour. Implications of these findings for breast cancer screening are discussed.     

Well-being and Need for Support of Adolescents with a Chronically Ill Family Member

This study investigates whether there are differences in the well-being, need for help and use of support services between adolescents with and without a chronically ill or disabled family member. It also examines the role played by the type of illness, the relationship to the family member and the nature and intensity of the help provided by the adolescent. A Dutch sample of 1581 adolescents (average age 14.6?years) completed a questionnaire in 2010 about mental health problems, pro-social behavior, need for and use of support and the illness of family members and any care tasks performed by the respondent. Young people with a sick family member had more mental health problems than their counterparts without a chronically ill family member. They also reported a greater need for and use of help and support. Performing domestic tasks was found to be a predictor for overall mental health problems. The intensity of the help given was related to the need for help by the adolescent. It is concluded that growing up with a chronically ill family member and spending a lot time performing (domestic) tasks are risk factors for adolescent mental health problems and adolescents’ need for help. Special attention is warranted for those who need support but who do not translate that need into reality by seeking help.     

How shared preferences in music create bonds between people: values as the missing link

How can shared music preferences create social bonds between people? A process model is developed in which music preferences as value-expressive attitudes create social bonds via conveyed value similarity. The musical bonding model links two research streams: (a) music preferences as indicators of similarity in value orientations and (b) similarity in value orientations leading to social attraction. Two laboratory experiments and one dyadic field study demonstrated that music can create interpersonal bonds between young people because music preferences can be cues for similar or dissimilar value orientations, with similarity in values then contributing to social attraction. One study tested and ruled out an alternative explanation (via personality similarity), illuminating the differential impact of perceived value similarity versus personality similarity on social attraction. Value similarity is the missing link in explaining the musical bonding phenomenon, which seems to hold for Western and non-Western samples and in experimental and natural settings.     

A routine perspective on implementing reflective career conversations in education

ABSTRACT

Reflective career conversations are a necessary instrument in the career guidance of students in vocational education. These conversations help students to learn from their (work) experiences and gain a better understanding of their motives on the labour market. Research shows that in a society in which change seems to become the only constant factor, knowing one’s own motives in work is important. However, the introduction and implementation of reflective career conversations in Dutch vocational education is problematic. In this article, we introduce the concept of ‘routines’ to better understand the nature of these problems. The concept ‘routine’ allows us to understand in much more detail what is required to induce the necessary behavioural changes that are required from teachers, students and management. Recognition of the complexity of this process and the willingness to invest are necessary prerequisites to prevent reflective career conversations from becoming the next ‘trick’ or ‘trendy innovation’.     

Global precedence as a postperceptual effect: An analysis of speed-accuracy tradeoff functions

Two experiments examined the speed-accuracy tradeoff for stimuli used by Martin (1979), some of which have a Stroop-like conflict between the relevant (to-be-judged) and the irrelevant aspect. Speed of transmitting information about a local aspect was significantly reduced when the irrelevant global aspect conflicted with the relevant local aspect, while speed of transmitting information about the global aspect was not affected when the irrelevant local aspect conflicted with the relevant global aspect. This result, when extrapolated to the accuracy level of an ordinary reaction-time task, fitted very well the reaction-time predictions of the global precedence model proposed by Navon (1977). However, other results were incongruent with the fundamental assumption of that model: that global features are accumulated with temporal priority over local features. The finding that, independently of speed, information transmission of the global aspect started later when the irrelevant local aspect was conflicting, corroborates Miller’s (1981a) conclusion that global and local features are available with a similar time course. Global precedence is therefore a postperceptual effect; absence of interaction with S-R compatibility suggested that it operated before the response selection stage. The term global dominance may be preferred, because it avoids the implication of prior availability for the global aspect. Furthermore, the possibility of whether Stroop conflict should be considered a necessary condition for global dominance is discussed.     

Car following from the driver’s perspective

In this commentary, it is argued that the car following models discussed in Brackstone, M., and McDonald, M. (Transportation Research – Part F (2000), pp. 181–196) ignore one or more of the following issues that characterize to observed driver behavior. These include: (i) car following is only one of many tasks that drivers perform simultaneously and receives therefore only intermittent attention and control (task scheduling/attention management), (ii) drivers are satisfied with a range of conditions that extend beyond the boundaries imposed by perceptual and control limitation (satisficing instead of optimal performance evaluation), and (iii) in each driving task drivers use a set of highly informative perceptual variables to guide decision making and control (perceptual rather than Newtonian input). To elucidate these issues, a general driver modeling framework is presented in which the car-following task is highlighted (Boer, E. R., & Hoedemaeker, M. (1998). In Proceedings of the XVIIth European Annual Conference on Human Decision making and Manual Control December 14–16. France: Valenciennes; Boer, E. R., Hildreth, E. C., & Goodrich, M. A. (1998). In Proceedings of the XVIIth European Annual Conference on Human Decision making and Manual Control December 14–16. France: Valenciennes).     

Ethical Issues in Neurografting of Human Embryonic Cells

During the last decade neurotransplantation has developed into a technique with the possible potential to repair damaged or degenerating human brain. Effective neurotransplantation has so far been based on the use of fetal brain tissue derived from aborted embryos or fetuses. The ethical issues related to this new therapeutic approach therefore not only concern the possible adverse side effects for a neural graft-receiving patient, but also the relationship between the requirements for fetal tissue and the decision-making process for induced abortion. Although for decades human embryos and fetuses have been the subject of biomedical studies, and, in principle, their use has therefore not been seen as ethically objectionable, the above points made it necessary to reconsider the moral issues. The present paper points out several of these issues, both from the donor and acceptor (patient) point of view. The conclusion is that under a series of restrictions intended to prevent the use of grafts from encouraging induced abortions and to maintain high standards of respect for life and human dignity, neurotransplantation using embryonic or fetal brain tissue parts cannot be rejected on moral grounds.     

Innovation across cultures: Connecting leadership,identification, and creative behavior in organizations

Innovation is considered essential for today's organizations to survive and thrive. Researchers have also stressed the importance of leadership as a driver of followers' innovative work behavior (FIB). Yet, despite a large amount of research, three areas remain understudied: (a) The relative importance of different forms of leadership for FIB; (b) the mechanisms through which leadership impacts FIB; and (c) the degree to which relationships between leadership and FIB are generalizable across cultures. To address these lacunae, we propose an integrated model connecting four types of positive leadership behaviors, two types of identification (as mediating variables), and FIB. We tested our model in a global data set comprising responses of N = 7,225 participants from 23 countries, grouped into nine cultural clusters. Our results indicate that perceived LMX quality was the strongest relative predictor of FIB. Furthermore, the relationships between both perceived LMX quality and identity leadership with FIB were mediated by social identification. The indirect effect of LMX on FIB via social identification was stable across clusters, whereas the indirect effects of the other forms of leadership on FIB via social identification were stronger in countries high versus low on collectivism. Power distance did not influence the relations.     

Taskomat: Evaluation of a Computerized Test Battery

A case study on a computerized test battery is presented based on more than a decade of use in military and civil settings. The study sheds light on the general issues associated with computerized testing. The accent is on the contrast between computerized and traditional paper-and-pencil testing. The computerized battery, called Taskomat, is founded on concepts arising from human performance theory. The tests of the battery are described, as well as issues related to the hardware (cost of purchasing, hardware reliability and industrial styling). Criteria used to evaluate the content of the tests were: reliability, robustness of effects, uniqueness or newness of abilities relative to paper-and-pencil testing, and validity of these abilities for predicting occupational success. A conclusion is that a theoretical foundation helps to increase the likelihood of assessing new abilities.     

Application of a simple recording system to the analysis of free-play behavior in autistic children

An observational system, which has been developed to facilitate recording of the total behavioral repertoire of autistic children, involves time-sampling recording of behavior with the help of a common Stenograph machine. Categories which exhausted all behavior were defined. Each category corresponded with a designated key on the Stenograph machine. The observer depressed one key at each 1-sec interval. The observer was paced by audible beats from a metronome. A naive observer can be used with this method. The observer is not mechanically limited and a minimum of observer training is required to obtain reliable measures. The data sampled during a five-week observation period indicated the stability of a taxonomic instrument of behavior based upon direct, time-sampling observations and the stability of spontaneous autistic behavior. Results showed that the behavior of the subjects was largely nonrandom and unsocialized in character.