Cognitive determinants of the success of inventors: Complex problem solving and deliberate use of divergent and convergent thinking

With reference to Henderson's (2004) assumption that inventors are “expert problem solvers”, we studied the ability of inventors to solve complex problems (CPS) using a sample of 46 German inventors. The participants had to use FSYS 2.0, a computer-simulated microworld. Additionally, we assessed metacognition, in particular the participants' ability to make deliberate use of divergent and convergent thinking. This ability was expected to be an important skill involved in solving complex problems (Dörner, Kreuzig, Reither, & Stäudel, 1983). We assumed a positive correlation between the individual success of inventors (number of granted and marketed patents) and CPS abilities. Controllability of divergent and convergent thinking turned out to be a predictor of the success of inventors and allowed us to identify the top 10% performers. Oddly however, the best problem solvers were inventors with exactly one granted patent. Data from a posteriori conducted interviews help explaining the results.     

Being Called a ‘Streber’: The Roles of Personality and Competition in the Labelling of Academically Oriented Students

The current research investigated a phenomenon that has received little attention so far: the labelling of students who are characterised by a strong academic orientation. We analysed whether personality predicts being labelled a ‘Streber’ (literally a person who strives for success; German origin, similar to the English word ‘nerd’) and labelling others as Strebers. Besides individual characteristics, we examined the impact of the classroom context. In Study 1 (N = 317), eighth‐grade students nominated classmates who were considered to be Strebers and provided self‐ratings on how often they had labelled others as Strebers. In Study 2 (N = 358), using a round robin design, we had students rate each of their classmates on the extent to which the students perceived their classmates to be Strebers. Results showed that being labelled was associated with introversion and conscientiousness. Labelling others was related to extraversion, low conscientiousness and low agreeableness. Furthermore, the labelling and the expected relation between individual characteristics and labelling were stronger in high‐achieving than in low‐achieving classes. Results are discussed with respect to personality traits as potential risk factors in peer stigmatisation and the impact of the classroom context. Copyright © 2012 European Association of Personality Psychology     

Perceived duration decreases with increasing eccentricity

Previous studies examining the influence of stimulus location on temporal perception yield inhomogeneous and contradicting results. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to soundly examine the effect of stimulus eccentricity. In a series of five experiments, subjects compared the duration of foveal disks to disks presented at different retinal eccentricities on the horizontal meridian. The results show that the perceived duration of a visual stimulus declines with increasing eccentricity. The effect was replicated with various stimulus orders (Experiments 1–3), as well as with cortically magnified stimuli (Experiments 4–5), ruling out that the effect was merely caused by different cortical representation sizes. The apparent decreasing duration of stimuli with increasing eccentricity is discussed with respect to current models of time perception, the possible influence of visual attention and respective underlying physiological characteristics of the visual system.     

Identification of the targeted performance dimensions and self-promotion in interviews: investigations of uncharted waters

ABSTRACT

Previous research on interviewees’ ability to identify criteria (ATIC) found that interview performance is positively related to the degree to which interviewees identify the targeted performance criteria in a selection interview. Similarly, the use of self-promotion as an impression management tactic is also positively related to interview performance. The present study extended this research and used multilevel analyses to investigate whether intraindividual variation concerning identification of the performance criteria and the use of self-promotion is related to within-person performance fluctuations across interview questions. Furthermore, we also tested whether correct identification of the performance dimensions moderates the effects of self-promotion behaviour on interview performance. In a simulated selection interview, we found that ATIC and self-promotion were indeed positively related to interview performance on the between-person level (i.e., for the entire interview). However, no moderator effect was found. Furthermore, on the within-person level interviewees’ performance was better concerning questions for which they were better at identifying the performance criteria but worse concerning questions for which they used more self-promotion. Thus, identification of the targeted dimensions and self-promotion have diverging effects on the level of specific interview questions. Finally, we discuss implications for research and practice.