DRESSING TO IMPRESS: BELIEFS AND ATTITUDES REGARDING WORKPLACE ATTIRE

The purpose of this study was to examine individual differences in beliefs and attitudes regarding workplace attire including: the value placed on clothing, the impact of attire on workplace outcomes (e.g., promotions, raises), the effort and planning involved in dressing appropriately for work, how their clothing made them feel, and whether they used their attire to manage the impression of others in the workplace. Results from a sample of MBA students indicate that those who valued workplace attire used it to manage the impressions of others and believed that it positively impacts the way they feel about themselves and their workplace outcomes. Dressing to impress appeared to have particular utility for high self-monitors and those in management/executive positions. Women were found to be more interested in clothing and experienced more “appearance labor” when compared to men. Suggestions for future research are proposed.The authors wish to thank the University of Southern Indiana for its sponsorship of this research through a 2004 Faculty Research and Creative Work Award grant.     

Do Co-Worker Conflicts Enhance Daily Worries about Job Insecurity: A Diary Study

The long-term negative consequences of job insecurity on employees’ health and well-being have been demonstrated by several studies, but there is very little evidence on the daily experience of job insecurity and on the factors that may influence it. Therefore, we investigated whether short-term changes occur in the experience of job insecurity and whether these are influenced by daily co-worker conflicts. We carried out a diary study, in which 66 employees answered a questionnaire over the course of five working days. We conducted a multilevel analysis in which we included co-worker conflicts as a predictor, and type of contract, emotional stability, and aggregated job insecurity perceptions as control variables. Our results revealed that job insecurity varies on a daily level, and that 23 per cent of the variance could be explained at a within-person level. Co-worker conflicts were a significant positive predictor for perceived job insecurity in subsequent days after controlling for aggregated job insecurity perceptions at person level. Reversed causation was not found. Practical implications for organisations should focus on the promotion of positive social relations in the work environment in order to mitigate or avoid the negative consequences of social stressors in uncertain times.     

The temporal structure of the forward roll: Inter- and intra-limb coordination

Investigations of the temporal structure of actions like walking, running, and hopping have given us information about movement's underlying structure. ‘Rules’ governing the timing of these cyclic, repetitive skills might be similar to those found for other actions. The forward roll was selected for study because there had been some previous investigation of the course of its development (Williams 1980). Children, aged 5, 7, and 9 years participated in this study. Analysis of the absolute and relative timing of selected actions revealed no statistical differences. A subset of these data was digitized to permit a deeper analysis of the rolling action. Correlation coefficients examining inter- and intra-limb timing relationships suggested the presence of tight coupling between segments in young children. Linkages were found between hip and leg segments as well as between hand contact and leg action. Magnitudes of correlations fell across the ages tested. This pattern of differences suggested that young children constrained their body segments more tightly than older subjects, to offset control problems like balance. Older subjects were more willing, or able to remain off balance for longer periods, in order to build greater speed during performance.     

Race versus social class: Social orientation and cognitive play in black and white middle SES preschool children

Black and white middle socioeconomic status (SES) preschool boys and girls were compared on the frequency with which they interacted socially with peers (people orientation) and on the frequency with which they engaged in nonsocial activity which involved being occupied with some material or task (object orientation). They also were compared on the frequency with which they engaged in the cognitive play types: functional, constructive, and dramatic. No race differences were found for people and object orientation. Sex, but not race, differences were found for level of social interaction. Boys engaged more frequently than girls in the highest level of social interaction. On frequency of the cognitive play types, neither race differences, nor sex differences, nor a race by sex interaction occurred. These findings raise questions about other assumed differences between black and white children. This study underscores the necessity not to treat black children as a monolithic group, but to recognize that sex, SES, and possibly other psychological and sociological characteristics influence their social and cognitive behaviors.     

BULIMIC SYMPTOMATOLOGY IN HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS

This study tests the explanatory power of an integrated sociocultural and personality model in predicting bulimic symptomatology. Family, peer, and personality factors were assessed at three levels of analysis. The first level of the model measured the general functioning of the family system and friendship network. The second level assessed the extent to which the family system and friendship network were concerned with issues of weight and dieting, as well as the rate of eating disorders among members in these groups. The third level investigated the relationship of certain personality variables to bulimic symptoms. Based on self-report data from approximately 400 high school girls, correlates of bulimic symptomatology at each of the three levels of analysis were identified. An integrated model, in which the three levels of analysis were considered in unison, demonstrated that risk factors at each level of analysis cumulatively contribute to an increase in bulimic symptoms.     

GATEKEEPING TRANSACTIONS

This research explored gatekeeping transactions of professional women in selected occupational fields. Subjects were asked to keep daily records on strategies they used to gain needed resources from other people in their workplace. Characteristics of gatekeeping transactions were studied as potential stressors that might affect specific indicators of mental health. Results suggest that differences in levels of job satisfaction and substance use can be predicted by specific characteristics of gatekeeping transactions, such as total number of transactions, number of strategies used per transaction, negativity of transactions, and gender and role status of gatekeeper. Patterns of influence strategies used by the subjects are discussed, as are implications for future research on gatekeeping transactions in relation to professional women's mental health and job satisfaction.