Job control and burnout across occupations

Researchers have reported that, for individual workers, low job control is associated with high burnout; however, as yet it is unclear whether this association holds for occupations as well. Whether differences in job control between occupations as assessed by eight expert judges could account for individual-level and occupational-level differences in burnout rates. Data were obtained from 9,503 incumbents of 28 occupations in The Netherlands (M age = 37.9 yr., SD = 8.7; 50% were men). Burnout was measured on the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Occupational-level job control was inversely correlated with burnout, explaining 16% of the variation in occupational-level burnout. Thus, between-occupation differences in job control are somewhat systematically related to burnout.     

Depth perception by the active observer

The connection between perception and action has classically been studied in one direction only: the effect of perception on subsequent action. Although our actions can modify our perceptions externally, by modifying the world or our view of it, it has recently become clear that even without this external feedback the preparation and execution of a variety of motor actions can have an effect on three-dimensional perceptual processes. Here, we review the ways in which an observer's motor actions--locomotion, head and eye movements, and object manipulation--affect his or her perception and representation of three-dimensional objects and space. Allowing observers to act can drastically change the way they perceive the third dimension, as well as how scientists view depth perception.     

10 years of illusions

A decade ago, S. Aglioti, J. F. X. DeSouza, and M. A. Goodale (1995) published an experiment that has had a big influence on the way that visual information is thought to control human behavior. Their findings have often been simplified as suggesting that action is immune to perceptual illusions. The current authors critically analyze the 4 steps involved in this simplification and argue that research during the last 10 years has shown that the validity of 3 of the 4 steps is doubtful. They conclude that this experiment cannot be regarded as firm support for the 2-visual-systems hypothesis (i.e., that the ventral stream is for perception and the dorsal stream is for visually guided actions).     

Priming in implicit memory tasks: prior study causes enhanced discriminability, not only bias

R. Ratcliff and G. McKoon (1995, 1996, 1997; R. Ratcliff, D. Allbritton, & G. McKoon, 1997) have argued that repetition priming effects are solely due to bias. They showed that prior study of the target resulted in a benefit in a later implicit memory task. However, prior study of a stimulus similar to the target resulted in a cost. The present study, using a 2-alternative forced-choice procedure, investigated the effect of prior study in an unbiased condition: Both alternatives were studied prior to their presentation in an implicit memory task. Contrary to a pure bias interpretation of priming, consistent evidence was obtained in 3 implicit memory tasks (word fragment completion, auditory word identification, and picture identification) that performance was better when both alternatives were studied than when neither alternative was studied. These results show that prior study results in enhanced discriminability, not only bias.     

Can false memories be created through nonconscious processes?

Presentation times of study words presented in the Deese/Roediger and McDermott (DRM) paradigm varied from 20 to 2000 ms per word in an attempt to replicate the false memory effect following extremely short presentations reported by. Both in a within-subjects design (Experiment 1) and in a between-subjects design (Experiment 2) subjects showed memory for studied words as well as a false memory effect for related critical lures in the 2000-ms condition. However, in the conditions with shorter presentation times (20 ms in Experiment 1; 20 and 40 ms in Experiment 2) no memory for studied words, nor a false memory effect was found. We argue that there is at present no strong evidence supporting the claim for a nonconscious basis of the false memory effect.     

A criterion-shift model for enhanced discriminability in perceptual identification: A note on the counter model

The original version of the counter model for perceptual identification (Ratcliff & McKoon, 1997) assumed that word frequency and prior study act solely to bias the identification process (i.e., subjects have a tendency to prefer high-frequency and studied low-frequency words, irrespective of the presented word). In a recent study, using a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm, we showed an enhanced discriminability effect for high-frequency and studied low-frequency words (Wagenmakers, Zeelenberg, & Raaijmakers, 2000). These results have led to a fundamental modification of the counter model: Prior study and high frequency not only result in bias, but presumably also result in a higher rate of feature extraction (i.e., better perception). We demonstrate that a criterion-shift model, assuming limited perceptual information extracted from the flash as well as a reduced distance to an identification threshold for high-frequency and studied low-frequency words, can also account for enhanced discriminability.     

Counsellors' focus on competitive employment for people with severe mental illness: an application of the theory of planned behaviour in vocational rehabilitation programmes

Although the evidence-based Individual Placement and Support programme highlights the importance of the vocational rehabilitation (VR) counsellors' focus on competitive employment during career counselling, studies have shown that counsellors do not always target such jobs. This study examines which determinants affect the counsellors' intentions using an extended version of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Cross-sectional data of 263 VR counsellors of three public employment services were analysed using structural equation modelling. A path model comprising attitudes, prior behaviour, and subjective and moral norms explained 69% of the variance in intentions. The findings indicate that counsellors focus more on competitive employment when they (1) view the placement in a competitive job as positive, (2) experience support and (3) have prior relevant experiences.     

Computer Ethics and Moral Methodology

In computer ethics, as in other branches of applied ethics, the problem of the justification of moral judgment is still unresolved. I argue that the method which is referred to as "The Method of Wide Reflective Equilibrium" (WRE) offers the best solution to it. It does not fall victim to the false dilemma of having to choose either case-based particularist or principle-based universalist approaches to the problem of moral justification. I claim that WRE also provides the best model of practical moral reasoning available for computer ethics. It does not pretend to provide quasi-algorithmic procedures for moral decision-making, but neither does it abandon the regulative ideal of communicative transparency in discursive public justification.     

Consistent haptic feedback is required but it is not enough for natural reaching to virtual cylinders

In virtual reality it is easy to control the visual cues that tell us about an object's shape. However, it is much harder to provide realistic virtual haptic feedback when grasping virtual objects. In this study we examined the role of haptic feedback when grasping (virtual) cylinders with an elliptical circumference. In Experiment 1 we placed the same circular cylinder at the simulated location of virtual elliptical cylinders of varying shape, so that the haptic feedback did not change when the visually specified shape changed. We found that the scaling of maximum grip aperture with the diameter of the nearest principal axis (.14+/-.04) was much weaker than when grasping real cylinders (.54+/-.04, Cuijpers, Brenner, & Smeets, 2006 Grasping reveals visual misjudgements of shape. Experimental Brain Research, 175, 32-44). For the scaling of grip orientation with the orientation of the cylinder we found large individual differences: the range is .07-.82 (average .42+/-.07) as compared to .55-.79 (average .67+/-.03) for grasping real cylinders. In Experiment 2 we provided consistent haptic feedback by placing real cylinders that matched the location, shape and orientation of the virtual cylinders. The scaling gains of both maximum grip aperture (.39+/-.04) and grip orientation (.56+/-.08) were substantially higher than in Experiment 1, but still lower than for grasps to real cylinders. The variability between participants for the scaling of grip orientation was also much reduced. These results showed that although haptic feedback must be consistent with visual information, it is not sufficient for natural prehension. We discuss the implications of these findings in terms of the integration of visual information with haptic feedback.     

The personality basis of justice: The five‐factor model as an integrative model of personality and procedural fairness effects on cooperation

Building upon the self‐based model of cooperation (De Cremer & Tyler, 2005 ), the present study investigates the relationship between the five‐factor model (FFM) and cooperation. Study 1 (N = 56), an experiment conducted in the laboratory, and Study 2 (N = 116), a field study conducted in an organisational context, yielded a moderator effect between neuroticism and procedural fairness in explaining cooperation. Study 3 (N = 177) showed that this moderator effect was mediated by the self‐uncertainty and relational variables proposed by the self‐based model of cooperation. It is concluded that the FFM is useful in explaining cooperation and contributes to a better understanding of (procedural) fairness effects. Moreover, the necessity to build integrative, multi‐level models that combine core and surface aspects of personality to explain the effects of fairness on cooperation is elaborated upon. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.