Predictors of willingness to register as an organ donor among dutch adolescents

Abstract

In order to identify relevant determinants of organ donor registration among Dutch adolescents, a school-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 145 high school students. Fifty-one percent of respondents indicated they were willing to register as organ donors and 80% reported a positive general attitude towards registration. Various misconceptions about the registration and donation procedure were identified. On average only moderate knowledge levels related to organ donation were found. In order of strongest association, negative outcome expectancies, past behaviour and experience, positive outcome expectancies, and social outcome expectancies proved to be significant predictors of willingness to register as organ donors. Self-efficacy was indirectly associated with willingness via outcome expectancies. Knowledge about organ donation was not significantly associated with willingness. The results suggest that in order to persuade adolescents to register as organ donors, refutational messages will have to be developed to counterargue the prevailing negative outcome expectancies related to organ donation and registration as an organ donor.     

Can Collective Responsibility for Perpetrated Evil Persist over Generations?

In the first part of the paper an argument is developed to the effect that (1) there is no moral ground for individual persons to feel responsible for or guilty about crimes of their group to which they have in no way contributed; and (2) since there is no irreducibly collective responsibility nor guilt at any time, there is no question of them persisting over time. In the second part it is argued that there is nevertheless sufficient reason for innocent individual members of a group (that persists over time) to take on responsibility and guilt for the evil other (earlier) members have committed. The reason depends on the acceptability of a particular psychological theory of personal identity.     

Age and Education Differences in Marriages and their Effects on Life Satisfaction

Within marriages husbands typically tend to be older and higher educated than their wife. This paper tries to explain this by analyzing whether age and education differences between spouses have an effect on happiness. Two alternative hypotheses are tested on the relation between age and education gaps between partners and life satisfaction. It is found that a positive age gap between husband and wife increases both male and female life satisfaction, while female life satisfaction increases if the education gap is smaller.     

The processing of multidimensional information from iconic storage: perceptual independence and comparative rates of decay

Using selection by location, the probe technique was applied to alphabetic and 2-dimensional position information. The purpose was to examine (a) the nature of iconic decay, and (b) whether, or not, both types of information are processed independently, when processed simultaneously. Positioning performance gained more benefit from partial report than identify performance, but decay rates were the same for both types of information. Data indicated the existence of perceptual interaction, but no response interaction, when both types of information were processed jointly. The perceptual interaction was attributed to an inverse relationship between structural stimulus complexity and clarity of iconic storage.     

The locus of intersensory facilitation of reaction time

When an imperative visual stimulus is paired with an auditory (accessory) stimulus, RT is generally faster than with the imperative stimulus alone. Three experiments using additive-factors logic tested an energy-summation view of the accessory, where effects are due to increased rate of information build-up in sensory stages, and a preparation-enhancement view which holds that the accessory serves an alerting function. Experiment 1 found no interaction between the accessory presence and (visual) stimulus brightness, suggesting no role of the accessory in stimulus identification. Experiment 2 found no interaction between accessory presence and spatial S-R compatibility, arguing that the accessory operated in stage(s) other than response selection. Experiment 3 produced an interaction between the accessory and movement complexity, arguing for accessory effects in a response-programming stage. The data generally favored preparation-enhancement, and offered no support for an energy-summation view.     

Performance Management: A Model and Research Agenda

Le management est confronté au défi lancé aux organisations quand elles doivent définir, mesurer et stimuler la performance des salariés avec pour objectif ultime d'améliorer la performance organisationnelle. La gestion des performances implique différents niveaux d'analyse et est manifestement reliée à l'évaluation des performances et aux thèmes relevant du management stratégique des ressources humaines (MRH). Cet article présente un modèle convenant à la gestion des performances qui combine des perspectives issues du MRH stratégique et des psychologies organisationelle et du travail. Le modèle intègre des éléments de différents niveaux et enrichit les modèles antérieurs en prenant explicitement en compte la perception des salariés, le rôle des supérieurs directs et une causalité qui peut être inversée. On présente enfin les défis que les futures recherches devront affronter.
Performance management deals with the challenge organisations face in defining, measuring, and stimulating employee performance with the ultimate goal of improving organisational performance. Thus, performance management involves multiple levels of analysis and is clearly linked to the topics studied in strategic human resource management (HRM) as well as performance appraisal. This paper presents a model for performance management combining insights from strategic HRM and work and organisational psychology. The model incorporates multi-level elements, and adds to previous models by explicitly incorporating employee perceptions, the role of direct supervisors, and possible reversed causality. Challenges for future research are also presented.     

Multiple-look effects on temporal discrimination within sound sequences

The multiple-look notion holds that the difference limen (DL) decreases with multiple observations. We investigated this notion for temporal discrimination in isochronous sound sequences. In Experiment 1, we established a multiple-look effect when sequences comprised nine standard time intervals (S) followed by an increasing number of comparison time intervals (C), but no multiple-look effect when one trailing C interval was preceded by an increasing number of S intervals. In Experiment 2, we extended the design. There were four sequential conditions: (a) 9 leading S intervals followed by 1, 2, …, or 9 C-intervals; (b) 9 leading C intervals followed by 1, 2, …, or 9 S intervals; (c) 9 trailing C-intervals preceded by 1, 2, …, or 9 S-intervals; and (d) 9 trailing S-intervals preceded by 1, 2, …, or 9 C-intervals. Both the interval accretions before and after the tempo change caused multiple-look effects, irrespective of the time order of S and C. Complete deconfounding of the number of intervals before and after the tempo change was accomplished in Experiment 3. The multiple-look effect of interval accretion before the tempo change was twice as big as that after the tempo change. The diminishing returns relation between the DL and interval accretion could be described well by a reciprocal function.     

The interactive effects of belongingness and charisma on helping and compliance

This study tests the main and interactive effects of belongingness and perceived charismatic leadership on 2 forms of organizational citizenship behavior (helping and compliance). In line with expectations, a study of 115 manager-subordinate dyads demonstrates that employees show more helping (manager rated) when they have a stronger sense of belongingness at work and more helping as well as compliance when they perceive their leader to be more charismatic (subordinate rated). Belongingness partially mediates the relationship between charisma and helping. Also, as hypothesized, belongingness and charisma have interactive effects on employees' helping and compliance. The impact of perceived charisma on these behaviors is stronger for employees with a low sense of belongingness at work than for individuals with a higher sense of belongingness.     

Structural stimulus complexity: one factor influencing the clarity of iconic storage

Using the procedure of partial report, or the probe technique, five Ss were required to process the position of items from a matrix containing fewer items than matrix cells. Different sets of stimulus cards containing items of varying structural complexity such as circles, 4-sided and 8-sided shapes were used to test the hypothesis that structural stimulus complexity and clarity of iconic storage are inversely related. Results were in accordance with the hypothesis and implications for the processing of visual information were discussed.     

The nucleus premammillaris ventralis (pmv) and aggressive behavior in the rat

Small bilateral electrolytic lesions placed just posterior of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus cause a strong increase in offensive behavior. The histology suggests that damage to the ventral premammillary nucleus is responsible for this effect. A summary of the neuroanatomical literature shows that this structure is connected to most other brain structures reported to be involved in offensive behavior.