Does the Experience of Organizational Justice Mitigate the Invasion of Privacy Engendered by Random Drug Testing? An Empirical Investigation

This research used theories of organizational justice to develop predictions regarding employees' judgments of the invasiveness of random-drug-testing programs. An investigation with two firms suggested that employees view random drug testing to be less invasive when they (a) hold management positions, (b) have been tested for drug use fewer times, (c) perceive the consequences of testing positive for drug use to be less punitive, and (d) perceive the drug-testing procedures to be more accurate. Unexpectedly, however, the perceived danger of impaired performance on the job was unrelated to the criterion. Implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed.     

Neuronal effects of auditory distraction on visual attention

Selective attention in the presence of distraction is a key aspect of healthy cognition. The underlying neurobiological processes, have not, however, been functionally well characterized. In the present study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to determine how ecologically relevant distracting noise affects cortical activity in 27 healthy adults during two versions of the visual Sustained Attention To Response Task (SART) that differ in difficulty (and thus attentional load). A significant condition (noise or silence) by task (easy or difficult) interaction was observed in several areas, including dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), fusiform gyrus (FG), posterior cingulate (PCC), and pre-supplementary motor area (PreSMA). Post hoc analyses of interaction effects revealed deactivation of DLPFC, PCC, and PreSMA during distracting noise under conditions of low attentional load, and activation of FG and PCC during distracting noise under conditions of high attentional load. These results suggest that distracting noise may help alert subjects to task goals and reduce demands on cortical resources during tasks of low difficulty and attentional load. Under conditions of higher load, however, additional cognitive resources may be required in the presence of noise.     

Two Outsiders’ View on Feminism and Evolutionary Psychology: An Opportune Time for Adversarial Collaboration

We see Smith and Konik’s (2011a) recent special issue of Sex Roles as a tremendous opportunity for feminist psychologists and evolutionary psychologists to begin a program of adversarial collaboration. In our view, adversarial collaboration offers a number of benefits that traditional scholarly exchanges do not. We optimistically believe that adversarial collaboration could help to resolve important theoretical and empirical disputes, increase the focus of research on actual areas of dispute (rather than perceived disagreements), and facilitate the integration of the heretofore opposed perspectives. We conclude by examining a dispute in our own field, intergroup relations, which suggests that traditional “reply-rejoinder” exchanges often fail to produce a constructive outcome.     

The Validity of Conscientiousness for Predicting Job Performance: A meta‐analytic test of two hypotheses

This study examined two hypotheses regarding the moderating effects of job characteristics on the validity of personality. Using meta‐analytic techniques, the authors explored the extent to which the structural characteristics and cognitive ability requirements of jobs influence the role of conscientiousness in predicting performance. The results suggest that conscientiousness is a stronger predictor of performance in jobs that are highly routinized, and a weaker predictor of performance in jobs with high levels of cognitive ability requirements. Implications for theory and future research are discussed.     

The emergence of scholars studying christianity in mainland China

The Russian Phoenix by Francis House. London: SPCK, 1988. Paperback, 133 pp., £7.95.

Philosophy in Russia: From Herzen to Lenin and Berdyaev by Frederick C. Copleston. Tunbridge Wells: Search Press and Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 1986. 445 pp.

A Megbékélés Etikája (The Ethics of Reconciliation) by Géza Németh. Unpublished. Written in Budapest in 1987. 62 pp.*

Chekisty: A History of the KGB by John Dziak. Lexington, Lexington Books, 1988. 234 pp.

A Short History of Modern Bulgaria by R.J. Crampton. Cambridge University Press, 1987. 221pp.

The Chernobyl Disaster by Viktor Haynes and Marko Bojcun. London: The Hogarth Press, 1988. Paperback, 233 pp, £7.95.     

The influence of partial‐match cues on event‐based prospective memory

In event‐based prospective memory tasks people form an intention to respond when an environmental cue signals that conditions are appropriate to fulfil an intended activity. In the ongoing activity the authors embedded partial‐match cues that only partially, but not completely, satisfied the conditions required to make a prospective response. The consequence of encountering these partial‐match cues was to increase responses to appropriate prospective memory cues encountered later. This outcome occurred both with semantic and orthographic cues, but only the former led to longer processing latencies of the partial‐match cues. This asymmetry suggests that partial‐match cues may not need to be processed consciously in order to benefit event‐based prospective memory. A parametric manipulation of the number of partial‐match cues resulted in numerically but not statistically better prospective memory. Consequently, partial‐match cues may function as overt reminders of the intention to respond or they may serve to engage participants in self‐initiated remindings of the intention.     

Does the Optimism Bias Affect Help-Seeking Intentions for Depressive Symptoms in Young People?

Help-seeking is an adaptive means to address mental health difficulties, but sufferers often fail to seek assistance. This inaction may reflect optimism bias—that is, believing one is less susceptible to negative events than others. In the present study, the authors investigate optimism bias by presenting depressive symptoms in vignette form to 263 undergraduate participants. Participants were asked to imagine oneself or a peer-group friend suffering from presented symptoms and provide ratings of problem seriousness, help-seeking importance, and prognosis. Results supported the optimism bias hypothesis in that participants reported lower levels of seriousness, lower need for help, and anticipated a more favorable prognosis for themselves compared to others on equivalent sets of symptoms. A contextual effect may exist and influence the evaluation of medium-severity symptoms when symptoms were presented from most to least severe. As symptom severity increased, females were less optimistic than males about prognosis and placed greater importance on help-seeking. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Effects of Encoding Tasks on the Own-Age Face Recognition Bias

In the current study, we evaluated the own-age face recognition bias by using various encoding tasks to evaluate the robustness and potential limitations of the own-age bias. One hundred sixty young adults studied photographs of children, young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults and were assigned to one of four encoding conditions (i.e., age estimate, attractiveness rating, friendliness rating, and a face search task). Subsequent recognition tests revealed a robust own-age bias such that participants recognized own-age faces better than other-age faces regardless of encoding task. The current study showed that encoding tasks that focus on socially relevant characteristics (i.e., attractiveness ratings and friendliness ratings) do not eliminate or weaken the own-age bias compared to tasks that specifically focus on the age of the face. These findings indicate that in-group/out-group categorization requires little conscious processing and may be automatic, which is consistent with Sporer's (2001) in-group/out-group model (IOM) of facial processing.     

The assessment of type a behaviour: A critique

Abstract

The validity of type A behaviour (TAB) as a precursor to heart disease is now increasingly subject to debate. This review examines some issues in the assessment of TAB that may have confused rather than clarified such debate. The status and interrelations between four widely used measures of TAB (Jenkins Activity Survey, Framingham Type A Scale, Bortner Rating Scale, and Structured Interview) are described, and a number of problems in their use discussed, including: differing conceptualisations of TAB, drifting criteria of assessment, failure to obtain accurate self-report of TAB, and difficulties associated with the measurement of TAB in populations other than male non-manual workers. Future research should attempt to obviate such difficulties, while elucidating pathogenic behaviours and attitudes, and how these interact with other variables to increase the risk of heart disease. Finally, the value of a state measure of TAB is discussed.     

Associations between visual attention,implicit and explicit attitude and behaviour for physical activity

The current study explored associations between previous physical activity and both implicit and explicit attitudes, as well as visual attention and activity motivation (intention). Analyses were performed on participants initially unaware of the physical activity focus of the study (N = 98). Higher levels of physical activity were associated with positive implicit attitudes and an attentional bias towards exercise cues. There was a quadratic (‘U’ shaped) relationship between implicit attitude and attention: the more extreme individuals’ implicit attitudes towards exercise (positive or negative) the greater their attentional bias to exercise cues. Furthermore, explicit attitude moderated the relationship between attentional bias and physical activity: attentional bias to exercise cues was associated with higher levels of physical activity only for those who had a strong positive explicit attitude. Findings suggested that implicit cognitions are linked with previous physical activity. Future research should consider strategies for strengthening positive implicit and explicit attitudes and directing attention to cues signalling healthy behaviour.