Educational Reform through an Ethic of Performativity: Introducing the Special Issue

Serving as an introduction to the special issue of Studies in Philosophy and Education, Philosophical Transgressions: Performativity and Performance for Education, this paper situates the papers that follow in its own performative analysis, especially utilizing the insights of Jean-François Lyotard. From him two ideas are salient, one his conception of knowledge as performance and the other the aesthetic (through language and writing) that is a reformist response.     

Long-term outcome after discontinuation of benzodiazepines for insomnia: a survival analysis of relapse

Discontinuation of benzodiazepine (BZD) treatment for insomnia can be a difficult task. Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) for insomnia, combined with a supervised medication taper, can facilitate withdrawal but there is limited evidence on long-term outcome after discontinuation. The objective of this study was to examine medication-free survival time and predictors of relapse (i.e., resumed BZD hypnotics) over a 2-year period in 47 older adults (mean age 62.1 years) with persistent insomnia and prolonged BZD use (average duration of 18.9 years), who had successfully discontinued BZD following CBT for insomnia, a supervised medication taper program, or a combined approach. The Kaplan-Meier product-limit method was used to estimate survival time, defined as time between end-of-treatment and relapse or end of follow-up. By the end of the 24-month follow-up, 42.6% of the samples had resumed BZD use. Participants in the Combined (33.3%) and Taper (30.8%) groups relapsed significantly less than their counterparts from the CBT group (69.2%). Survival rates at 3 months were 61.5% (CBT), 100% (Taper), and 80.9% (Combined). At 12 months, they were 38.5%, 83.3%, and 70.8%, respectively; and, at 24 months, they were 28.9%, 64.8% and 64.9%, respectively. Mean survival time was significantly longer for both the Taper (18.6 months, SE = 2.1) and Combined groups (12.6 months, SE = 1.4), relative to the CBT group (8.5 months, SE = 1.8). Significant predictors of relapse included treatment condition, end of treatment insomnia severity, and psychological distress. In conclusion, there is a substantial relapse rate following BZD discontinuation among prolonged users. CBT booster sessions might enhance compliance with CBT and prove useful in preventing relapse.     

Innovation across cultures: Connecting leadership,identification, and creative behavior in organizations

Innovation is considered essential for today's organizations to survive and thrive. Researchers have also stressed the importance of leadership as a driver of followers' innovative work behavior (FIB). Yet, despite a large amount of research, three areas remain understudied: (a) The relative importance of different forms of leadership for FIB; (b) the mechanisms through which leadership impacts FIB; and (c) the degree to which relationships between leadership and FIB are generalizable across cultures. To address these lacunae, we propose an integrated model connecting four types of positive leadership behaviors, two types of identification (as mediating variables), and FIB. We tested our model in a global data set comprising responses of N = 7,225 participants from 23 countries, grouped into nine cultural clusters. Our results indicate that perceived LMX quality was the strongest relative predictor of FIB. Furthermore, the relationships between both perceived LMX quality and identity leadership with FIB were mediated by social identification. The indirect effect of LMX on FIB via social identification was stable across clusters, whereas the indirect effects of the other forms of leadership on FIB via social identification were stronger in countries high versus low on collectivism. Power distance did not influence the relations.     

Green career choices: The influence of ecological stance on recruiting

Ecological issues have become a growing concern to businesses. This experimental study examined the effect of a pro-environmental stance on the recruiting efforts of a fictitious firm. Results supported the idea that a proactive company stance on the environment would be positively related to perceived company attractiveness, intentions to pursue employment with that company, and acceptance of a job offer (n=303). Further, personal environmental stance influenced only the intent to pursue employment. This suggests that a positive environmental stance articulated in a recruitment brochure could positively affect potential recruits, even when a recruit does not personally see herself or himself as being particularly pro-environmental.The authors would like to thank Margaret L. Williams for helping with the generation of the recruitment brochures and Chris J. Berger for his support of this research project. In addition, David K. Palmer and Frances L. Dobbs are thanked for help with data collection. Additional thanks are given to Chris J. Berger, Stephen G. Green, David K. Palmer, and Margaret L. Williams for reviewing an earlier draft of this article.This article was presented at the 1993 Industrial Organizational and Organizational Behavior graduate student conference in Chicago, IL, where it won the Wherry award. Therefore, it was presented at the 1995 meeting of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychologists in Orlando, FL.The materials for this study were recycled when possible and the ink on the recruitment brochures is environmentally friendly soy ink.     

Reconstructive processing of memory content for high versus low test scores and grades

Self-reported SAT and ACT scores and grades in college-level mathematics and related courses were verified for 494 individuals. Correct responses decline for 2 years and then stabilize. The percentage of correct responses is approximately twice as high for individuals whose grades are in the upper tercile than for those whose grades are in the lowest tercile. Given that an incorrect report is made, the proportion of those overstating grades or test scores is approximately 0.50 for those in the upper tercile of the distribution, and 0.90 and 0.75 for those in the lowest tercile of the grade and test score distribution. The inflated reports of grades and test scores by individuals with low scores are interpreted as reconstructions of memory content based on failure experiences and the affective context of these experiences.     

MEDICAL PERCEPTIONS OF MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS

Thirty-five physicians in family practice or gynecology, 43 practicing nurses, and 35 menopausal or postmenopausal women rated the frequency, severity, and causality of 15 menopausal symptoms commonly reported in the literature. Subjects also rated their degree of preference for four possible menopause treatments (counseling, estrogen therapy, mood-altering medication, and no treatment) and answered an open-ended question asking them what they saw as the major factor in determining whether a woman would experience difficulty at menopause. The results overall suggest that medical persons see menopausal symptoms as more pathological than women who have experienced or are experiencing menopause and that physicians, relative to menopausal women, adhere to a more psychogenic model in which psychological causality and symptoms are given greater emphasis than menopausal women give them.     

Hormone Moralities

In the Age of the Smart Machine: The Future of Work and Power, by Shoshana Zuboff, Basic Books, 1988, 496 pages, hb £14.95/$19.95, pb £8.95/$11.95.     

War-Zone Exposure and Long-Term General Life Adjustment Among Vietnam Veterans: Findings From Two Perspectives1

This two-part investigation examined associations between service in Vietnam and indices of long-term general life adjustment using a national sample of male and female members of the Vietnam generation. In Study 1, we documented reasonably high levels of satisfaction and attainment among Vietnam veterans, levels that differed minimally, on average, from those who served elsewhere and those who never served in the military. In Study 2, dimensions of war-zone stressor exposure were only marginally related to satisfaction and attainment, in contrast with research documenting strong relationships with psychopathol-ogy. These findings support the importance of expanding our thinking about dimensions of mental illness and mental health.     

Sequential Temporal Dependencies in Associations Between Symptoms of Depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Application of Bivariate Latent Difference Score Structural Equation Modeling

Depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are highly comorbid conditions that may arise following exposure to psychological trauma. This study examined their temporal sequencing and mutual influence using bivariate latent difference score structural equation modeling. Longitudinal data from 182 emergency room patients revealed level of depression symptom severity to be positively associated with changes in PTSD intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal over 3 time intervals, beginning shortly after the traumatic event. Higher scores on depression anticipated increases (or worsening) in PTSD symptom severity. The pattern of influence from PTSD symptom severity to change in depression symptom severity simply followed the general trend toward health and well-being. Results are discussed in terms of the dynamic interplay and associated mechanisms of posttrauma depression and PTSD symptom severity.     

Identifying Beneficial Physical Activity During School Recess: Utility and Feasibility of the Fitbit

The purpose of the current study was to assess the utility, feasibility, and reliability of Fitbit accelerometers to measure physical activity (via steps) of 15 young children simultaneously during recess. Fitbit-recorded steps per minute (SPM) were used as the primary measure to assess levels of activity in children playing in various structured (i.e., instructed) and unstructured (i.e., free play) recess activities. The results suggested that the number of steps measured by two Fitbits resulted in high levels of agreement, and the Fitbits were successful at identifying differential levels of activity across multiple types of play activities. Across all children, running or walking was associated with the most SPM (M = 89) and highest percentage of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; M = 47%), followed by soccer (M = 58 SPM; M = 12% MVPA), free play (M = 53 SPM; 3% MVPA), and tag (M = 43 SPM; 7% MVPA). The utility of the Fitbit’s minute-by-minute data records was demonstrated, with the use of additional third-party software by Python, as differential levels of physical activity associated with various play behaviors were detected, and all 15 participants were assessed simultaneously with very few observers.