Profile of the American CEO: Comparing Inc. and fortune executives

Given the documented differences between entrepreneurial and traditional organizations in their structure and climate, a well as the predicted escalation of competition in global markets in the upcoming decade, the present study focused on the following questions. First, do chief executive officers (CEOs) from different corporate environments differ in the attributes, skills, and abilities they possess, and second, what meaning do these differences have for CEOs in confronting immediate and future challenges in small growth companies and large corporations. A sample of 35Fortune 500 CEOs and 35Inc. 500 CEOs was assessed on the London House STEP battery in order to identify differences between these groups. It was hypothesized that although there would be some overlap, the pattern of strengths and weaknesses would differ between the CEO groups. Specifically, it was expected thatInc. CEOs would be more creative whileFortune CEOs would exhibit a better balance in their breadth of managerial and executive skills. Results showed that these hypotheses were confirmed. Both groups were, not surprisingly, high in their potential for success and were not significantly different from one another in this overall dimension. However,Inc. CEOs were significantly higher in creativity, ability to work under pressure, and developing technical ideas, whileFortune CEOs excelled in the interpersonal skills of communications, developing teamwork, supervisory practices, developing employee potential and in the areas of leadership experience and financial responsibility. Findings are discussed in terms of developmental and strategic suggestions for current and aspiring CEOs.Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Academy of Management, Washington, D.C., August, 1989.     

Social judgment processes in hyperactive boys: Effects of methylphenidate and comparisons with normal peers

Although there is consensus that ADHD children have serious social problems, there is little understanding of the mechanisms underlying or accompanying such problems. To examine the possibility of atypical or faulty social reasoning, we presented ADHD and normal boys with a social perception task that entailed evaluating the behaviors of unknown peers. ADHD judges participated under both methylphenidate and placebo conditions, and on each occasion they evaluated an unfamiliar ADHD target in each medication state. In contrast to placebo, methylphenidate appeared to dampen overall response rates in ADHD judges, but there was no effect on sensitivity to medication-related differences. Regardless of their own medication state, ADHD judges identified more undesirable behaviors in peers on placebo than in those taking methylphenidate. Judges with the most serious behavior problems tended to identify the greatest number of negative behaviors in peers, especially when both judge and target were unmedicated. There were no effects of target medication status on detections of positive behaviors and few differences in detection patterns of ADHD versus normal judges. Discussion focused on the need to distinguish general regulatory from specific social-cognitive processes.This study was conducted at the Fernald Child Study Center, UCLA, and we very much appreciate the many contributions of Stephen P. Hinshaw, codirector of the program. We are also grateful to the resourceful and devoted staff and the energetic children who served as judges and targets.     

Community recognition of objective and subjective characteristics of depression

Assessed knowledge of depression in a random sample of 527 community-living adults. Vignettes were presented which described a young or old protagonist with depressive symptoms. Respondents were asked to identify potential problems and possible solutions. A depression information measure followed. Results indicated that community residents were aware of many objective features of depression although they identified less information about treatment issues. Older respondents were least informed. Although there were no gender differences in objective knowledge, men were less likely to mention depression with regard to the vignettes. Suggestions for implementing more effective community interventions are discussed.     

Models of satisfaction with benefits: Research implications based on the nature of the construct

Research interest in benefit satisfaction continues to increase. The following paper empirically examines demographic correlates of satisfaction with several common benefits. The differences which result support the consideration of benefit satisfaction as a multi-faceted construct separate from pay level satisfaction. Cautions are offered for future benefit related research.     

Solutions to some problems in the implementation of conjoint analysis

Methodological problems encountered in implementing conjoint analysis include (1) the impractically large set of multiattribute choice alternatives created by the factorial combination of more than a few attributes, (2) the hypothetical nature of the alternatives in the choice set, and (3) the assumption that each individual’s preferences can be described by the same composition rule. The techniques of tailoring, belief matching, and axiom testing are suggested as solutions to these problems, and their use is demonstrated in a conjoint analysis study of individuals’ contraceptive preferences. It is noted that tailoring and belief matching can also be used as methodological enhancements in functional measurement studies.     

Divergent Perceptions of Jail Inmates and Correctional Officers: The “Blame the Other-Expect to Be Blamed” Effect1

Inmates and correctional officers in a Lwnty jail made attributions of responsibility and predicted each other's attributions in response to four hypothetical stimulus incidents varying in severity of the inmate's intentional misbehavior and the severity of the officer's intentional retribution. When the misbehavior and retribution were moderate, subjects blamed both participants about equally. However, both over- and underreactions to the stimulus inmate's misbehavior elicited defensiveness, with both officers and inmates more likely to attribute responsibility to their opposite role character. In addition, both inmates and officers appeared to respond defensively to severe but equitable retributions. Subjects blamed each other, and, anticipating the other's defensiveness, expected to be blamed. Examination of the data suggested that subjects may have responded stereotypically rather than empathetically, and that defensiveness impeded rather than facilitated predictive accuracy. Results were consistent with previous research, increasing the generality of the “blame the other-expect to be blamed” effect. Additional analyses indicated that inmates were more likely than officers to notice mitigating circumstances when considering the inmates' responsibility. Three recommendations were made which may help to forestall inmate reactivity to retributions: (1) Jail personnel should have objective and clear definitions as to what constitutes major and minor infractions; (2) inmates should be aware of these criteria; and (3) jail personnel should be sensitive to mitigating circumstances and moderate their retribution or anticipate possible reactivity from inmates.     

Effects of dominance cues on attributions of sexual behavior

Many writers have suggested that dominance plays an important role in human sexuality. This proposition was examined by asking 51 females and 85 males to rate their impressions of a man and woman (photographed in the nude) who were described as having a male-dominant, female-dominant, or equalitarian relationship. Results indicated that although subjects' level of sexual arousal was unaffected by dominance, dominant individuals were perceived as more sexually active than the other stimulus persons. As expected, dominance appeared to enhance perceived masculinity, while submissiveness increased perceived femininity. Surprisingly, dominant male and female stimulus persons were not differentially evaluated. These findings were interpreted as being consistent with the assumption dominance is positively associated with sexuality.     

Separation-individuation conflicts in children of Holocaust Survivors

This article examines the developmental conflicts of children of Holocaust Survivors with specific emphasis on psychic trauma and second-generation Survivor effects. Issues related to depression, guilt, and aggression are discussed in relation to Mahler's separation-individuation process. Developmental failures at early phases may predispose these children toward low self-esteem, narcissistic vulnerability, identity problems, and impairments in interpersonal relations. The need for further research and clinical investigation is emphasized to help develop preventive measures and attenuate the effects of the Holocaust on future generations.     

Extracting identity and location information from briefly presented letter arrays

The effect on identification and location of briefly presented targets (letters and blanks) of number of targets, retinal location, and direction and distance of simultaneously presented targets is investigated. In three different conditions, one, two, or three targets are presented on a trial with the location of targets varying from trial to trial. A model is proposed to describe identification and location performance in the one-letter condition. This model distinguishes between two sets of parameters, perceptual parameters and decision parameters, and assumes that in terms of these parameters, identification and location are independent processes. The perceptual and decision parameters of the model, estimated by assuming that these parameters are linearly related to retinal location, indicate that retinal location has a different effect on the decision parameters for both identification and location than on the perceptual parameters. Variables affecting the performance decrements found when multiple letters are presented are evaluated in terms of models stated for the multiple letter conditions. Estimates of the effects of distance from the fixation point and inter-letter distance indicate that, as both of these variables increase, performance decreases. In the three-letter condition, a serial position effect is found, with performance on center letters being relatively poor. A peripherally presented letter is found to have a large detrimental effect on performance, and the effect increases as interletter distance increases. Location of correctly identified targets follows many of the same patterns as identification performance in the multiple letter conditions. In addition, there is a tendency for incorrectly located targets to be moved foveally and to move to positions occupied by other targets on the trial. The possibility of a limited-capacity attention mechanism operating in the present experiment is discussed.     

Effects of methylphenidate alone and in combination with behavior modification procedures on the behavior and academic performance of hyperactive children

Twenty hyperactive 6- to 9-year-old children of normal intelligence were studied in a half-day laboratory classroom in a 2-week period baseline-treatment-reversal design for behavior modification. Under double-blind conditions half the children were placed on .3 mg/kg of Ritalin and half on placebo for the entire program. The classroom program consisted of a group period with immediate reinforcement possible, and an individual time period without immediate reinforcement possible. Behavior modification caused a significant decrease in nonattending, out-of-seat, inappropriate vocalizing and inappropriate peer interaction behavior in the group period. Fidgeting, a nontargeted behavior, was not significantly decreased during this period but did signficantly decrease as a result of medication. No other drug effects occurred during this period. During the individual period, the results were essentially reversed. There were no significant behavior modification effects observed. Significant reductions resulted from medication in all behaviors except out-of-seat and fidgeting. Behavior modification alone significantly affected the two academic measures. No significant effects were seen on the Conners Abbreviated Teacher Rating Scale. No significant interactions were noted between medication and behavior modification.This study was supported by a grant from the Health Services and Mental Health Administration, Maternal and Child Health Service Project 920. Special thanks are due to Judy Racheleu, Charles Cunningham, Christopher P. S. Williams, Dan Lee, Russell Barkley, Ross Danielson, Sally Gray, Don Slyman, and Linda Shambeck.