Indirect interception actions by blind and sighted perceivers: The role of modality and tau

Vernat, J.‐P. & Gordon, M.S. (2011). Indirect interception actions by blind and sighted perceivers: The role of modality and tau. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 52, 83–92. Acoustic and visual interceptive actions were tested in this research by comparing the performance of blind, blind‐folded, and sighted individuals. An indirect interception method was employed in which the participant had to roll an intercepting ball towards a moving target on a perpendicular track. The interception task used conditions that varied the speed, rolling distance, and target size/intensity. While performance was highly consistent and accurate for visual participants in this research, the blind and blind‐folded participants demonstrated much more performance variability in response to changes in speed and distance. Manipulation of target size and intensity did not affect judgments, however performance tended to be more accurate at shorter distances and with faster target speeds. Results from this research are discussed in terms of their implications for tau in acoustic interception, and the use of spatial and temporal cues for guiding interceptive actions.     

The Employability Inventory: An Overview

the background, development, content and validation of the Employability Inventory, an instrument designed to assess knowledge of job seeking, job retention, and job success. Usefulness of the inventory in both counseling and education.     

MANAGERIAL VALUES: A METHODOLOGICAL STEP TOWARD A PSYCHOLINGUISTIC APPROACH

Managers from Private Enterprises and Public Services answered a questionnaire where they were asked to give the 60 concepts and 40 adjectives that are the most useful to describe and characterize their managing function. Some concepts and adjectives appear with a frequency beyond the chance level they fix the limits of a managerial subjective culture. Additional entropy measures show that concepts are more stereotyped than adjectives and that Public Services Managers are more stereotyped than Private Enterprises Managers although in both cases the entropy curves are quasi-linear meaning that the semantic space of management is economically organized.     

An Exploration of the Dynamics of the Overlapping Worlds of Work and Family

The relationship between the working lives and family lives of people in our society is a concern to both families and corporations. This article describes a research project that yielded theoretical statements about the interactions between organization life and family life for members of large corporations; grounded theory methodology and a systems theory approach were used. Data were obtained in a large multinational corporation from managers and their families who were undergoing three different kinds of organizational stress: international transfer, extensive travel, and job change to facilitator of personal and organizational change. The findings give reason for viewing organization and family as interacting systems and for considering the uniqueness of each individual's response to stressful events. They also indicate that an individual's feeling of influence over stressful events at the organization-family boundaries are significant for both organizational and family effectiveness.     

JOB SEARCH ACTIVITIES: AN EXAMINATION OF CHANGES OVER TIME

Existing job search research has been criticized for ignoring the dynamic nature of search. This study examined three models of changes in search behavior over time: sequential, learned change, and emotional response. Data on search behaviors were collected from a sample of 186 college and vocational-technical school graduates early in their search, at graduation, and again 3 months following graduation for individuals who remained unemployed. Job searchers decreased the intensity of their search, increased their use of informal sources, and reduced their emphasis on information related to the availability of jobs between early search and graduation. These changes were reversed following graduation. This pattern is most consistent with the sequential model, which suggests that individuals first search broadly to develop a pool of potential jobs, then examine jobs within that pool in detail, reopening the search only if the initial pool does not lead to an acceptable job offer.     

Assessment of relationship thinking in dating relationships

In a series of five studies a method of assessing relationship thinking and its role in close relationship dynamics was developed. These studies were carried out with college students who responded to questionnaires. Studies 1 and 2 focused on identifying items representing the content and frequency of relationship thinking about participants' present dating relationships. Studies 3 and 4 examined personal characteristics, general relationship schema, and subjective conditions that were related to relationship thinking. Study 5 identified the ability of relationship thinking to predict individuals' perceptions of an interaction with their partners. Results uncovered three types of relationship thinking: partner, positive affect, and network. Relationship thinking was related in expected ways to several personal characteristics, subjective conditions, and general relationship schema. Relationship thinking was predictive of perceptions of distress-maintaining and relationship-enhancing interactions with the dating partners. The findings suggest increased attention to the social cognitive aspects of close relationships.     

Addiction Counselors Can Benefit From Appropriate Humor in the Work Setting

Using humor in therapy has been controversial. However, recent studies indicate that addiction counselors use humor effectively in therapeutic approaches. Given the high rate of stress-related turnover in the addiction field, counselors need to learn ways to manage their personal and professional stress. Integrating humor in daily work activities reduces stress and increases the ability to have fun at work.     

Dialogue among Friends: Toward a Discourse Ethic of Interpersonal Relationships

Despite clear parallels between Jürgen Habermas's discourse ethics and recent scholarship in feminist ethics, feminists are often suspicious of discourse ethics and have kept themselves mostly separate from the field. By developing a sustained application of Habermas's discourse ethics to friendship, Keller demonstrates that feminist misgivings of discourse ethics are largely misplaced and that Habermas's theory can be used to develop a compelling moral phenomenology of interpersonal relations.     

Impact of health,treatment and psychological factors on cognitive functioning after chemotherapy for early breast cancer

The aim of the current study was to review the extent that physical health, treatment and psychological factors contribute to cognitive dysfunction after chemotherapy for breast cancer. PubMed, Medline and PsychINFO searches of the literature published from 1995 to 2008 pertaining to chemotherapy for breast cancer and cognitive dysfunction were reviewed. There is currently insufficient evidence available to evaluate the effect of indirect factors (health, treatment and psychological) on cognitive functioning after chemotherapy. Fatigue and changes in endocrine function are the most frequently investigated factors, although conclusions are limited due to methodological shortcomings. The impact of other health and treatment factors has been inadequately addressed, with many variables examined in only one of the 22 reviewed studies. Importantly, although depression and anxiety can significantly influence neuropsychological test performance, mood has been inconsistently measured and analysed in regards to cognitive performance in this literature. In addition, indirect factors may affect cognitive domains differently, requiring further investigation of specific domains after chemotherapy. Because chemotherapy can negatively affect numerous organ systems and as yet no systematic investigations of health, treatment or psychological factors have been conducted, the authors conclude that it is currently premature to attribute all cognitive change after chemotherapy treatment to cytotoxic drugs.