Work engagement accumulation of task, social, personal resources: A three-wave structural equation model

Drawing on Conservation of Resources Theory and previous research on work engagement, the present study investigates gain spirals between employees' engagement and their task, social, and personal resources. It focuses on the key resources of job control, positive work relationships, and active coping behavior. In a three-wave design, work engagement (T2) is suggested to function both as an outcome and antecedent of these resources, so that engagement mediates indirect longitudinal effects of initial (T1) on subsequent (T3) resources. Item-level structural equation modeling supported our hypotheses in a three-wave panel (N = 416) of hospital physicians with measurement intervals of 14 and 19 months. Connections between engagement research and other evolving perspectives in organizational research are highlighted. Unique contributions of the present study and their implications for further research and practice are discussed.     

The Nature of Satisfaction With Subordinates: Its Predictors and Importance to Supervisors

Two studies examined supervisors' satisfaction with subordinates, and its predictors and importance to supervisors. Study 1 found entity relationships in the form of similarity between supervisors' and subordinates' values were uniquely related to satisfaction with subordinates. Liking of subordinates (from LMX theory) appears to link leadership and job-satisfaction domains. In Study 2, entity relationships, functional relationships, and job performance of subordinates were related to supervisors' satisfaction with subordinates. Functional relationships were the strongest and job performance the next strongest predictors. Performance was related moderately to similarity of supervisors' and subordinates' values and functional relationships. Satisfaction with subordinates was not related to supervisors' global satisfaction and turnover intention in either study, suggesting that subordinates may not be very important to supervisors.     

Molar and latent models of cognitive slowing: Implications for aging,dementia, depression,development, and intelligence

The time that it takes a group of participants to respond in simple cognitive tasks varies systematically with the identity of the group. For example, on most tasks, older adults take longer to respond than younger adults. Similarly, on most tasks, younger children take longer to respond than mature children. More generally, response time has been found to vary reliably with a number of other factors that differentiate groups of participants, including the levels of dementia, depression, and intelligence. For each factor, investigators have sought to determine whether the various mental processes are slowed identically as the level of impairment increases. They have based this determination largely on the relation between the overall response times of the relevant groups. Here it is shown how one can base this determination on the relation between the speeds of the individual latent or mental processes governing the performance of the target groups. Such a shift in emphasis has three important advantages: it reduces the possibility of falsely accepting or rejecting the hypothesis that all processes are slowed identically; it pinpoints the actual processes that are lengthened disproportionately when processes are not slowed identically; and it makes possible the rigorous testing of the effects of changes in speed on other dependent variables (e.g., accuracy).     

Psychosocial enhancement of immunocompetence in a geriatric population

This study assessed the enhancement of immunocompetence by relaxation and social contact in 45 geriatric residents of independent-living facilities. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three protocols: relaxation training, social contact, or no contact. Subjects in the relaxation and social-contact conditions were seen individually three times a week for a month. Blood samples and self-report data were obtained at baseline, at the end of the intervention, and at a 1-month follow-up. At the end of the intervention, the relaxation group showed a significant increase in natural killer cell activity, and significant decreases in antibody titers to Herpes simplex virus and self-rated distress; the other two groups showed nonsignificant changes. There was a general increase in the T-lymphocyte response to phytohemagglutinin stimulation at the end of the intervention, with greater change at lower mitogen concentrations. These data suggest that cellular immunocompetence may be enhanced by psychosocial interventions.     

Absence of depth processing in the large-frame rod-and-frame effect

Attenuation of the rod-and-frame effect (RFE) with depth separation (Gogel & Newton, 1975) was investigated with the rod and frame in either intersecting or parallel depth planes (PDP). In the former case, in which either the top of the rod or the frame was inclined 45 deg away from the observer, no attenuation was found for frames projecting a retinal angle of 39.2 or 13.5 deg. In the PDP paradigm, the rod was optically 60 cm nearer the observer than was the frame. The depth adjacency effect of Gogel and Newton was replicated, but only for small retinal angles (7.2 and 6.8 deg) of the frame and for a 15-deg frame tilt, but not for larger retinal angles (39.2 and 12.7 deg) or for frames tilted at 22 deg. The absence of attenuation with depth separation in large frames and its presence in small frames is consistent with the identification of these phenomena with properties of the ambient and focal visual systems, respectively (Leibowitz & Post, 1982).     

The relevance of specific conversational behaviors to ratings of social skill: An experimental analysis

Research on the social effectiveness of specific conversational behaviors is reviewed and a new study is presented. Eight versions of the same tape-recorded conversation between a man and a woman were prepared in a 2×2×2 design, where the woman systematically varied her conversation either high or low on questions, compliments, and 4-sec latencies. Subjects listened to one of these tapes and rated the female's social skill. Results of the major social skill variable showed that high questions and high compliments elicited higher skill ratings. The effect of low latencies was only marginally significant. While other factors such as personal appearance or self-evaluation differences may also be important, this study suggests that it may be valuable to include assessment and training relevant to compliments and questions (and possibly latencies) in programs for women who are socially anxious.     

Differential development of selectivity for faces and bodies in the fusiform gyrus

Viewing faces or bodies activates category‐selective areas of visual cortex, including the fusiform face area (FFA), fusiform body area (FBA), and extrastriate body area (EBA). Here, using fMRI, we investigate the development of these areas, focusing on the right FFA and FBA. Despite the overlap of functionally defined FFA and FBA (54%–75% overlap), we found that these regions developed along different trajectories. With age (7–32 years old), the FFA gradually increased in size and selectivity, and was significantly larger and more face‐selective in adults than children. By contrast, the size and selectivity of the FBA did not correlate with age, and were equivalent in children and adults. Whereas in adults the FFA and FBA were comparable in size, in children the FBA was on average 70% larger than the FFA. These findings suggest that, in children, the fusiform gyrus is predominantly selective for bodies, with commensurate face‐selective responses apparent later in development. Moreover, differences in the development of the FFA and FBA indicate that overlapping functional brain areas, supported by the same anatomical structure, can develop along different trajectories.     

El curso temporal de la interferencia entre la palabra y el dibujo

Resumen

Si una palabra se imprime dentro de un dibujo lineal de un objeto concreto, se obtiene un efecto de interferencia de tipo Stroop cuando se solicita la denominación del dibujo o se pide que se lea la palabra. Smith y Magee (1980) han demostrado que este efecto cambia drásticamente si la tarea de denominación o de lectura se sustituye por una tarea de categorización. Sus resultados parece que confirman la hipótesis de velocidad relativa, que explica las interferencias de tipo Stroop por un procesamiento del distractor más rápido que del objetivo. Se presentan dos experimentos en los que se analiza el curso temporal de los efectos de interferencia entre el dibujo y la palabra variando sistemáticamente la asincronía de presentación del estímulo (APE) de los dos componentes del estímulo en las tareas de denominación de dibujos, lectura de palabraas. categorización de dibujos y categorización de palabras. Los resultados contradicen la hipótesis de velocidad relativa y sugieren una asimetría de procesamiento interna y funcional entre un tipo de recodificación no susceptible de ser inhibida, efectiva en la lectura de la palabra y en la categorización del dibujo, y un tipo de recodificación susceptible de ser inhibida en la denominación del dibujo y en la categorización de la palabra.