The Georgia family Q-sort: an observational measure of family functioning

The development of a new observational measure of family functioning using a Q-sort methodology is described. The Q-sort is one way of obtaining observer measures of family that complements both microcoding and global ratings of family processes. Evidence for construct validity is presented along with a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the Q-sort approach to family observation.     

Gender constancy: A methodological and theoretical analysis

Two widely used tests of gender constancy, one verbal and one perceptual, were given to 26 4-to-6-year-old children. Children were classified at different levels of gender constancy, depending on which test was used. These discrepant results were not accounted for by the differences in the way the tests presented (verbally or visually), nor by the tests' differing definitions of gender constancy. The majority of the children answered gender constancy questions as though they were referring to a “pretend,” as opposed to a “real,” situation; such responses decreased scores of gender constancy on both tests. The theoretical and methodological implications of children spontaneously adopting a pretend mode of responding are discussed.     

Individual and Nomothetic Models of Job Stress: An Examination of Work Hours,Cohesion, and Well-Being1

Many models of job stress are implicitly based on the assumption that there is considerable variability in how individuals perceive and respond to their environments. In this paper, we introduce a nomothetic perspective of job stress. The nomothetic perspective assumes that despite individual differences there will be consistencies in how groups of individuals perceive and respond to similar work environments. To contrast the individual and nomothetic perspectives, we analyzed data from 7,382 respondents from 99 groups. In the analyses, we examined individual-and group-level relationships using both real groups and randomly formed groups. The results revealed that respondents from the same work group agreed about perceptions of the work climate. The results also revealed that both individual and nomothetic perspectives were useful in describing the relationship between cohesion and psychological well-being. The relationship between work hours and psychological well-being, however, was best modeled from a nomothetic perspective.     

Predicting successful territory sales performance

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of the London HouseSales Professional Assessment Inventory (SPAI) for identifying successful territory managers at a national food distribution company. Forty-seven territory managers with valid SPAI results and usable performance information comprised the sample. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine the relationships between results on the SPAI and year-to-date sales figures for a 10 month period. Territory managers recommended by the SPAI had $350,000 more in average year-to-date sales revenues than those not recommended. Finally, those scoring in the top 10% on the SPAI haddouble the amount in sales revenues of those not recommended. The results indicate that the SPAI is a valid instrument for use in predicting the successful performance of territory managers at a national food distribution company.     

Medial auditory thalamus inactivation prevents acquisition and retention of eyeblink conditioning

The auditory conditioned stimulus (CS) pathway that is necessary for delay eyeblink conditioning was investigated using reversible inactivation of the medial auditory thalamic nuclei (MATN) consisting of the medial division of the medial geniculate (MGm), suprageniculate (SG), and posterior intralaminar nucleus (PIN). Rats were given saline or muscimol infusions into the MATN contralateral to the trained eye before each of four conditioning sessions with an auditory CS. Rats were then given four additional sessions without infusions to assess savings from the initial training. All rats were then given a retention test with a muscimol infusion followed by a recovery session. Muscimol infusions through cannula placements within 0.5 mm of the MGm prevented acquisition of eyeblink conditioned responses (CRs) and also blocked CR retention. Cannula placements more than 0.5 mm from the MATN did not completely block CR acquisition and had a partial effect on CR retention. The primary and secondary effects of MATN inactivation were examined with 2-deoxy-glucose (2-DG) autoradiography. Differences in 2-DG uptake in the auditory thalamus were consistent with the cannula placements and behavioral results. Differences in 2-DG uptake were found between groups in the ipsilateral auditory cortex, basilar pontine nuclei, and inferior colliculus. Results from this experiment indicate that the MATN contralateral to the trained eye and its projection to the pontine nuclei are necessary for acquisition and retention of eyeblink CRs to an auditory CS.