Rating leniency and halo in multisource feedback ratings: testing cultural assumptions of power distance and individualism-collectivism

This study extends multisource feedback research by assessing the effects of rater source and raters' cultural value orientations on rating bias (leniency and halo). Using a motivational perspective of performance appraisal, the authors posit that subordinate raters followed by peers will exhibit more rating bias than superiors. More important, given that multisource feedback systems were premised on low power distance and individualistic cultural assumptions, the authors expect raters' power distance and individualism-collectivism orientations to moderate the effects of rater source on rating bias. Hierarchical linear modeling on data collected from 1,447 superiors, peers, and subordinates who provided developmental feedback to 172 military officers show that (a) subordinates exhibit the most rating leniency, followed by peers and superiors; (b) subordinates demonstrate more halo than superiors and peers, whereas superiors and peers do not differ; (c) the effects of power distance on leniency and halo are strongest for subordinates than for peers and superiors; (d) the effects of collectivism on leniency were stronger for subordinates and peers than for superiors; effects on halo were stronger for subordinates than superiors, but these effects did not differ for subordinates and peers. The present findings highlight the role of raters' cultural values in multisource feedback ratings.     

English adaptation versus mother tongue: reliability of the English version of MODDI-F administered to Hong Kong Chinese college students

Two samples of Hong Kong college students completed the English and the Chinese version of the Multidimensional Orientation Toward Dying and Death Inventory (MODDI-F), respectively. Results show substantially lower coefficients of internal consistency in the English version when compared with its Chinese counterpart. The construct validity of the instrument, i.e., the statistical relationships between its subtests, was confirmed. Whenever available, the use of a questionnaire that is worded in the participants' mother tongue is recommended.     

For love or money? What motivates people to know the minds of others?

Mood affects social cognition and "theory of mind", such that people in a persistent negative mood (i.e., dysphoria) have enhanced abilities at making subtle judgements about others' mental states. Theorists have argued that this hypersensitivity to subtle social cues may have adaptive significance in terms of solving interpersonal problems and/or minimising social risk. We tested whether increasing the social salience of a theory of mind task would preferentially increase dyspshoric individuals' performance on the task. Forty-four dysphoric and 51 non-dysphoric undergraduate women participated in a theory of mind decoding task following one of three motivational manipulations: (i) social motivation (ii) monetary motivation, or (iii) no motivation. Social motivation was associated with the greatest accuracy of mental state decoding for the dysphoric group, whereas the non-dysphoric group showed the highest accuracy in the monetary motivation condition. These results suggest that dysphoric individuals may be especially, and preferentially, motivated to understand the mental states of others.     

An evaluation of mood states among first-year residents

To examine the need for preventive and treatment interventions, a prevalence study was conducted to ascertain the rate of depressive symptomatology and other negative mood states among 112 first-year residents. The participation rate was 54%. Subjects (N = 61) were administered the Beck Depression Inventory and Profile of Mood States in personal interview sessions. The Profile measures five negative mood states, namely, "tension-anxiety," "depression-dejection," "anger-hostility," "fatigue-inertia," "confusion-bewilderment," and one positive state, "vigor-activity." A 15.5% rate of depression was found, which is lower than a rate of 23.5%, also measured by Beck's inventory, among a sample of university undergraduates and 19.9% among an adult sample from the general population. No differences were observed among residency programs or sex on Beck's scale; however, significantly higher scores were found for women on the "depression-dejection" dimension of the Profile. The mean scores on all negative mood dimensions of the Profile were below the mean for university undergraduate norms. Neither sleep nor hours worked over the past week were associated with increased Beck scores. These results indicate that sleep deprivation and long work hours did not contribute to depression among the subjects who participated in the study. Female interns, however, appear to be at increased risk of depression, and adequate support systems need to be provided.     

Performance as a source of perceived control

The purpose of this experiment was to examine the effects of choice and environmental control on the development of the perception of control. The results showed that the perception of control develops from an opportunity to make choices. More deliberate (slower) decisions resulted in an increase in the perception of control, and these perceptual effects generalized to a dice-throwing task over which no choice was possible. A model was examined which assumes that subjects monitor their own behavior with the result that more thoughtful decisions lead subjects to infer higher levels of control.A portion of these results was presented at the annual meeting of the South Eastern Psychological Association, 1983. This research was supported in part by the VA Medical Research Services, the U.S. Army Human Engineering Laboratory, and Grant AGO 2300 from the National Institute on Aging. Appreciation is expressed to Kathleen Flannery for her assistance with the preparation of this paper and for her helpful comments.     

Tightness-Looseness Revisited: Some Preliminary Analyses in Japan and the United States

The construct of tightness-looseness is considered to be important in differentiating cultures (Pelto, 1968; Triandis, 1977, 1989). The objective of the present paper is to advance understanding of this construct. Specifically, we present a conceptual framework for the construct and formulate some general research hypotheses derived from our conceptualization. In addition, we examine one of our general hypotheses that cultures differing in the tight-loose dimension will differ in the way language is used. Using a data set from Osgood, May, and Miron (1975), we compared the Japanese and the US samples of this study and found evidence supporting the hypothesis that Japan is a tighter culture, as compared to the USA. In addition to studying the construct of individualism-collectivism, we suggest that tightness-looseness is an important cultural dimension that can explain and predict cultural differences in many kinds of social behaviour.