Validation of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale and an examination of a model of career adaptation in the Philippine context

This paper presents the validation of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS) in the Philippine context. The CAAS consists of four subscales, with six items each, measuring self-regulative psychosocial resources (e.g., concern, curiosity, control, and confidence) for coping with occupational tasks and transitions. Filipino university students (N = 289) and working adults (N = 495) participated in the study. Internal consistency estimates for the full scale and subscales ranged from .87 to .97. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the multidimensional and hierarchical model of career adaptability. The factor structure was similar to that obtained from the CAAS international validation from 18 countries. Results also suggested that career adaptability was positively associated with adaptivity in the form of tenacious goal pursuit and flexible goal adjustment as well as with adaptation outcomes of career satisfaction and promotability. Overall, the findings confirm the utility of CAAS in the Philippine context and support the model that states higher levels of personal adaptivity (willingness) and career adaptability (competence) relate to better adaptation outcomes in terms of career success.     

When social psychology became less social: Prasad and the history of rumor research

Rumor research, in general, and its delayed incorporation of the work of rumor researcher Jamuna Prasad, in particular, exemplify how the intellectual climate of American social psychology discouraged the development of social approaches. In the present paper, we explain his conceptualization of how rumors start and spread, and explore findings from subsequent research supporting or negating his propositions. It is our contention that, although Prasad had identified the basic variables involved in rumor generation and transmission correctly, mainstream social psychological research in the 1940s did not incorporate his contributions. Instead, mirroring the Zeitgeist of American social psychology, rumor research was approached from a predominantly individual level of analysis. In the present paper, the authors have tried to resurrect some of the group-level variables from Prasad's treatment of rumor and to suggest that social psychology adopt a more 'social' approach to rumor.     

Assessing alternative models of individualism and collectivism: a confirmatory factor analysis

Six alternative structural models of individualism–collectivism are reviewed and empirically compared in a confirmatory factor analysis of questionnaire data from an Australian student sample (N = 340). Central to the debate about the structure of this broad social attitude are the issues of (1) polarity (are individualism and collectivism bipolar opposites, or orthogonal factors?) and (2) dimensionality (are individualism and collectivism themselves higher‐order constructs subsuming several more specific factors and, if so, what are they?). The data from this Australian sample support a model that represents individualism and collectivism as a higher‐order bipolar factor hierarchically subsuming several bipolar reference‐group‐specific individualisms and collectivisms. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

When employees behave badly: the roles of contract importance and workplace familism in predicting negative reactions to psychological contract breach

In this paper, we examine the influence of contract importance, feelings of violation, and workplace familism on the relationship between psychological contract breach and organizational deviance. Results from a study of 168 supervisor–employee dyads in a pharmaceutical organization suggest that (a) feelings of violation mediated the relationship between perceived breach and supervisor‐rated organizational deviance; (b) relational and transactional contract importance influenced the relationship between breach and feelings of violation such that the relationship was stronger under conditions of high relational and transactional importance; and (c) high levels of workplace familism mitigated the effects of feelings of violation on supervisor‐rated organizational deviance.     

Rumors Denials as Persuasive Messages: Effects of Personal Relevance,Source, and Message Characteristics1

Denial is a commonly used strategy to rebut a false rumor. However, there is a dearth of empirical research on the effectiveness of denials in combating rumors. Treating denials as persuasive messages, we conducted 3 laboratory‐based simulation studies testing the overall effectiveness of denials in reducing belief and anxiety associated with an e‐mail virus rumor. Under the framework of the elaboration likelihood model, we also tested the effects of denial message quality and source credibility, and the moderating effects of personal relevance. Overall, the results provided some support for the effectiveness of denials with strong arguments and an anxiety‐alleviating tone in reducing rumor‐related belief and anxiety. The effects of denial wording and source credibility were visible for participants who perceived high personal relevance of the topic. Limitations of the current research and future research directions are discussed.     

Evaluating and Improving Probability Assessment in an Ambiguous,Sequential Environment

The current study explores the validity of verbal probability assessments in a sequential and highly ambiguous task, that is, one in which it is virtually impossible to know or learn about the true probabilities of possible outcomes. Participants observed the pre-defined motion of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), such that the participant’s success depended on the UAV reaching a target sector without being spotted by an opponent UAV. At several points in each trajectory, participants’ task was to evaluate the likelihood of reaching the target successfully. The study utilized a 2?×?2 independent-groups factorial design to examine the effect of probability incentivization (Brier vs none), in which participants receive payment based on the nearness of their predictions to actual outcomes, and informational reviews (present vs absent), in which participants engage in detailed discussion with the experimenter, regarding their assessments in seven previous trials before continuing, on probability assessment. A statistically significant main effect of Brier scoring was found, such that Brier based incentivization improved assessment accuracy. The effect of informational review and the interaction effect were not significant. All groups performed significantly better than random and uninformed performance. Outcomes from this study improve our understanding of the validity of online judgments made by operators of unmanned vehicles in strategic settings. It is concluded that non-expert probability assessments carry important information value even in ambiguous settings and even without incentives, and importantly, are further amenable to incentives and training.     

Microworlds for experimental research: Having your (control and collection) cake, and realism too

Microworlds (MWs) are dynamic computer-generated environments that subjects interact with in the laboratory and that simulate conditions encountered in the field. Precise levels of experimental control and improved accuracy and efficiency of data collection procedures are characteristic of MWs. It is proposed that these benefits are achieved with concomitant gains in internal validity (afforded by high levels of experimental realism) and external validity (afforded by the replication of the temporal-interactive nature of most field phenomena). To illustrate these ideas, three sets of MW studies are described that investigated rumor and behavior in the stock market (Broker), escalation behavior (Inve$tment Choice$), and the application of foraging theory to internet shopping (Cybershopper).     

When employees strike back: investigating mediating mechanisms between psychological contract breach and workplace deviance

In this article, psychological contract breach, revenge, and workplace deviance are brought together to identify the cognitive, affective, and motivational underpinnings of workplace deviance. On the basis of S. L. Robinson and R. J. Bennett's (1997) model of workplace deviance, the authors proposed that breach (a cognitive appraisal) and violation (an affective response) initiate revenge seeking. Motivated by revenge, employees then engage in workplace deviance. Three studies tested these ideas. All of the studies supported the hypothesized relationships. In addition, self-control was found to be a moderator of the relationship between revenge cognitions and deviant acts; the relationship was weaker for people high in self-control.     

Differences in sharing knowledge interpersonally and via databases: The role of evaluation apprehension and perceived benefits

Knowledge sharing is an essential component of effective knowledge management. However, evaluation apprehension, or the fear that your work may be critiqued, can inhibit knowledge sharing. Using the general framework of social exchange theory, we examined the effects of evaluation apprehension and perceived benefit of knowledge sharing (such as enhanced reputation) on employees' knowledge sharing intentions in two contexts: interpersonal (i.e., by direct contact between two employees) and database (i.e., via repositories). Evaluation apprehension was negatively associated with knowledge sharing intentions in both contexts while perceived benefit was only positively associated with knowledge sharing intentions in the database context. Moreover, compared to the interpersonal context, evaluation apprehension was higher and knowledge sharing lower in the database context. Finally, the negative effects of evaluation apprehension upon knowledge sharing intentions were worse when perceived benefits were low compared to when perceived benefits were high.