MOTIVATION OF MANAGERS: IS GENDER A FACTOR?

Respondents consisted of 124 working managers (62 men, 62 women) whose needs for Achievement (nAch), Affiliation (nAff), and Power (nPwr) were tested using two types of Thematic Apperception Tests, male-oriented and balanced as to sex. Results of a two-way ANOVA indicate that women managers have a higher nAch, a not significantly different nAff, and a higher nPwr than managerial men. Changing social values as well as the obstacles women face in first getting managerial jobs and then having to overcome sex-role conflicts-all possibly channel a specific type of woman into these managerial positions, as other factors act to select men.     

Effects of dopamine transporter and receptor polymorphisms on smoking cessation in a bupropion clinical trial.

This study examined the role of dopaminergic genes in prospective smoking cessation and response to bupropion treatment in a placebo-controlled clinical trial. Smokers of European ancestry (N=418) provided blood samples for genetic analysis and received either bupropion or placebo (10 weeks) plus counseling. Assessments included the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) genotype, dopamine transporter (SLC6A3) genotype, demographic factors, and nicotine dependence. Smoking status was verified at the end of treatment (EOT) and at 6-month follow-up. The results provided evidence for a significant DRD2 * SLC6A3 interaction effect on prolonged smoking abstinence and time to relapse at EOT, independent of treatment condition. Such effects were no longer significant at 6-month follow-up, however. These results provide the first evidence from a prospective clinical trial that genes that alter dopamine function may influence smoking cessation and relapse during the treatment phase.