Why and when cognitive job insecurity relates to affective job insecurity? A three-study exploration of negative rumination and the tendency to negative gossip

ABSTRACT

The job insecurity literature distinguishes between cognitive job insecurity and affective job insecurity where cognitive job insecurity reflects perceptions regarding the likelihood of total job loss or job features loss and affective job insecurity refers to emotional reactions to that potential loss. Indeed, affective job insecurity is demonstrated to be an affective reaction to cognitive job insecurity. However, the relationship between cognitive job insecurity and affective job insecurity may be neither direct nor unconditional. Drawing from cognitive appraisal theory, this research takes a nuanced approach to exploring the mediating role of negative work rumination and the moderating role of the tendency to negative gossip in the relationship between cognitive job insecurity and affective job insecurity. We examined our hypotheses using three time-lagged survey studies with employees recruited from the U.S. and China. These studies found that negative work rumination mediated the relation between cognitive job insecurity and affective job insecurity (Studies 1–3) and the tendency to negative gossip attenuated the positive relation between cognitive job insecurity and affective job insecurity (Studies 1 and 2). Thus, this research advances the job insecurity literature by identifying a mediator and a moderator in the process of how employees may experience job insecurity.     

Linking individuation and organizational identification: Mediation through psychological safety

ABSTRACT

This paper examines how individuation, a view that organizational members are all unique individuals, induces a perception of psychological safety and how perception of psychological safety, in turn, increases one’s organizational identification. Results from 66 respondents in Study 1 provided first support for the proposed mechanism. In Study 2, data collected from 176 employees in work organizations also provided evidence for this mediation model. It was found in both studies that individuation has a significantly positive association with the perception of psychological safety such that the more employees view individual members of the organization as unique individuals, the more likely they perceive that their organization is a safe environment for self-expression. Furthermore, perception of psychological safety was found to serve as a mediator linking individuation and organizational identification.     

Contextual cueing in preview search

Frequently finding a target in the same location within a familiar context reduces search time, relative to search for objects appearing in novel contexts. This learned association between a context and a target location requires several blocks of training and has long-term effects. Short-term selection history also influences search, where previewing a subset of a search context shortly before the appearance of the target and remaining distractors speeds search. Here we explored the interactions between contextual cueing and preview benefit using a modified version of a paradigm from Hodsoll and Humphreys (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 31(6), 1346–1358, 2005). Participants searched for a T target among L distractors. Half of the distractors appeared 800 ms before the addition of the other distractors and the target. We independently manipulated the repetition of the previewed distractors and the newly added distractors. Though the previewed set never contained the target, repetition of either the previewed or the newly added context yielded contextual cueing, and the effect was greater when the previewed context repeated. Another experiment trained participants to associate the previewed context with a target location, then disrupted the association in a testing phase. This disruption eliminated contextual cueing, suggesting that learning of the previewed context was associative. These findings demonstrate an important interaction between distinct kinds of selection history effects.

     

Improving the psychosocial wellbeing of international students: the relevance of mindfulness

ABSTRACT

In this study we analysed the potential of a mindfulness programme for improving psychosocial wellbeing among students at a Dutch university. Based on interviews and observations of sessions, the study demonstrated that students joined the programme to manage stress and anxiety, cultivate self-awareness, and regulate difficult emotions. They all reported positive outcomes, but students who participated in the sessions regularly and did the homework assignments reported better outcomes, including enhanced self-awareness, self-care, and positive attitudes towards others. Although students reported improved emotion regulation, many still believed that the programme was less strong in this area. The study affirms the potential of mindfulness programmes for improving the psychosocial wellbeing, and builds a case for the integration of mindfulness interventions in university counselling services.     

教师的沟通满意感、组织认同与心理健康的关系

组织认同是社会认同的一种特殊形式,是与组织具有一致性或从属于组织的知觉.该文通过对700名教师施测Mael & Tetrick组织认同问卷、沟通满意感问卷和一般健康问卷,得出以下结论:1)沟通满意感能够正向的预测个体的组织认同水平;2)沟通满意感能够正向的预测个体的心理健康水平;3)组织认同对于心理健康的预测作用不显著.     

Word Reading Efficiency,Text Reading Fluency,and Reading Comprehension Among Chinese Learners of English

This study examined the relationship among word reading efficiency, text reading fluency, and reading comprehension for adult English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Data from 185 adult Chinese EFL learners preparing to take the Test-of-English-as-a-Foreign-Language? (TOEFL®) were analyzed in this study. The participants completed a computer-based test battery of word reading efficiency and text reading fluency in addition to TOEFL iBT (Internet-Based Test) reading comprehension. The findings showed a stronger relationship between text oral reading fluency and reading comprehension than between word reading efficiency and reading comprehension. The authors recommended that attention be paid to text oral reading fluency in adult EFL reading research and instruction.     

悦城龙母传说探源

悦城龙母传说源远流长,影响深广。但长期以来,学人们都把它看作是唐代的产物,但从历史文献来看,其最早记载当在西晋,比唐代的记载要早五百余年。从历史记忆的视角考察,龙母传说与秦始皇发生联系并非故事情节的任意粘连,而是有着地域历史文化的积淀,它既保留了秦始皇时期帝国征服与土著抵抗的集体记忆,又形象、真实地反映了秦始皇统一岭南时期的政治、经济和文化等多方面的历史状况,起源古老,值得珍视。     

Modelling the surface stress of alkali halides

A model to determine the stress on the (100) surface of NaCl-type alkali halides is developed. The model predictions correspond to those of other theoretical calculations.     

重建人类禁忌观念

禁忌是指被禁止或忌讳的言行,在古代被认为是不可触犯的戒律。禁忌作为人类最古老的观念,从原始社会到传统社会一直是人类生命安全的守护神。然而,近代以来市场经济、工业革命和现代科技汇聚成的巨大力量使过去建立在畏惧敬畏对象和恇畏对象基础上的禁忌消失殆尽,导致了许多前所未有的重大社会问题和灾难性事件。因此,重建近代以来被否弃的禁忌观念必须提上议事日程。今天的禁忌对象也无非就是敬畏对象和恇畏对象这两大类,前者包括自然、神灵和祖先,后者包括战争、恐怖主义、干预人类自然生长和生活的各种科学研究,以及毒品、性乱、谣言、不讲卫生等。重建禁忌观念,就是要努力促使人们将禁忌内化为自己的底线生存观念,从而在内心深处对触犯禁忌感到羞耻和有罪。当前尤其要注重从小培养人们的畏惧和禁忌意识,强化触犯禁忌的耻感和罪感,营造切忌触犯禁忌的舆论氛围,用法律和道德促进禁忌观念形成。     

Meaning in life accounts for the association between long-term ostracism and depressive symptoms: The moderating role of self-compassion

ABSTRACT

According to the temporal need–threat model, ostracism results in three stages of responses. Research on the responses to ostracism has predominantly focused on the first two stages, and the literature needs further empirical evidence on responses to long-term ostracism. We conducted two studies to better understand the association between long-term ostracism and depressive symptoms. Study 1 found a positive association between long-term ostracism and depressive symptoms. More importantly, Study 1 found the threatened sense of meaning in life partially mediates the relationship. Study 2 further found that self-compassion, a positive and healthy trait, weakens the relationship between long-term ostracism and depressive symptoms. More specifically, self-compassion moderates the relationship between the threatened sense of meaning in life and depressive symptoms. Our findings not only further our understanding about the negative consequences of long-term ostracism but also suggest a possible way to mitigate depressive symptoms associated with long-term ostracism.