A Configurational Perspective on the Theory of Planned Behaviour to Understand Employees' Change‐Supportive Intentions

This study aims to deepen the understanding of the psychological processes involved in the formation of change‐supportive intentions by adopting a configurational perspective. To investigate potential configurations in relevant psychological processes suggested by the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1991 ), classical linear analytic methods are supplemented by the application of two case‐centred methods: latent profile analysis (LPA) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The study uses data from two measurement times drawing on employees of a city council (t1: N = 1,589; t2: N = 1,524) undergoing complex and continuous organisational changes. While the case‐centred results from LPA and fsQCA generally accord well with the results from regression analysis, they consistently highlight the relevance of configurational patterns. Specifically, LPA and fsQCA reveal that different combinations of change‐related attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control relate to the presence or absence of high supportive intentions. These results provide valuable insights for fostering employees' change‐supportive intentions. Moreover, the present study demonstrates that case‐centred analytical methods can essentially enrich research and theory‐building in change management as well as in the field of behavioural intention formation in general.     

Social importance enhances prospective memory: evidence from an event-based task

Prospective memory performance can be enhanced by task importance, for example by promising a reward. Typically, this comes at costs in the ongoing task. However, previous research has suggested that social importance (e.g., providing a social motive) can enhance prospective memory performance without additional monitoring costs in activity-based and time-based tasks. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of social importance in an event-based task. We compared four conditions: social importance, promising a reward, both social importance and promising a reward, and standard prospective memory instructions (control condition). The results showed enhanced prospective memory performance for all importance conditions compared to the control condition. Although ongoing task performance was slowed in all conditions with a prospective memory task when compared to a baseline condition with no prospective memory task, additional costs occurred only when both the social importance and reward were present simultaneously. Alone, neither social importance nor promising a reward produced an additional slowing when compared to the cost in the standard (control) condition. Thus, social importance and reward can enhance event-based prospective memory at no additional cost.     

Thought suppression and memory biases during and after depressive moods

Previous research indicates that formerly depressed individuals engage in high levels of thought suppression that can mask depressive cognitions. However, suppression may also ironically foster a vigilance for unwanted thoughts that promotes uncertainty about ambiguous information and distorts memory. The present study tested this possibility. Formerly dysphoric, currently dysphoric, and never-dysphoric participants listened to a series of statements describing life events that were positive, negative, or ambiguous. In a subsequent recognition phase, participants reviewed a series of statements and rated each for the likelihood that it had been presented earlier. The recognition list included positive and negative disambiguated versions of the original items. Compared to the never-dysphoric group, formerly dysphoric individuals were more likely to endorse negative disambiguations. As predicted, this bias was associated with higher levels of thought suppression and greater uncertainty about the meaning of ambiguous situations, suggesting an ongoing conflict between positive and negative thoughts.