Meta‐Analysis of Clerical Performance Predictors: Still stable after all these years

Pearlman, Schmidt, and Hunter (1980) published a seminal paper on the validity of various measures for predicting performance in clerical jobs. They concluded that for both job and training performance criteria, 10 types of tests (e.g., perceptual speed, clerical aptitude, verbal ability) predicted performance across 5 clerical job families. This paper describes a psychometric meta‐analysis of validity studies using similar measures for clerical jobs conducted since 1980 to examine the stability of Pearlman and colleagues' validity estimates. This paper contributes to the literature by investigating the long‐term stability of validity generalization estimates over a period of several decades. Clerical jobs provide a compelling case study because these jobs have changed considerably due to the increased use of computers and technology in the office environment. Results showed that the mean population estimates in the present study were consistent with, or higher than, those obtained by Pearlman and colleagues, thus demonstrating the long‐term stability of meta‐analytic estimates of validity. The relative stability of the validity estimates also supports the robustness of g as a predictor, even as jobs change over time.     

Recounting the K-12 school experiences of adults who stutter: a qualitative analysis

This study qualitatively explored the primary and secondary (K-12) school experiences of adults who stutter. The primary investigator conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 participants, a first focus group interview with 6 participants, and a second focus group interview with 4 participants. Participants discussed the various ways in which stuttering affected their personality; emotional and psychological experiences in the context of school; academic and learning experiences; classroom participation; teacher and peer relationships; speech therapy experiences; school activity involvement; and post-educational experiences. Results suggest that school is a complex cultural environment in which students must engage on academic and social levels. People who stutter may experience observable and unobservable challenges as they navigate the complexity of school. EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES: After reading this article, the reader will be able to: (1) provide a rationale for the need to explore the school experiences of people who stutter; (2) describe the major themes associated with the school experiences of participants in the study; and (3) discuss how knowledge of school experiences can be useful to classroom teachers and speech-language pathologists.     

Conflict management: A premarital training program in mutual problem solving

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured educational program designed to train premarital couples in communication and mutual problem-solving skills. Twenty-six couples participated in an eight-week, 24-hour problem-solving training program, while 28 similar couples participated in an eight-week, 24-hour relationship discussion group. Results indicated that the problem-solving group, as compared to the relationship-discussion group, showed a significant increase in communication and mutual problem-solving skills. Discussion focused on the benefits for premarital couples of learning effective problemsolving procedures as well as the need for follow-up assessments of both behavioral skill level and relationship satisfaction and adjustment.     

Attributional Retraining: A Motivation Treatment With Differential Psychosocial and Performance Benefits for Failure Prone Individuals in Competitive Achievement Settings

Our quasi-experimental, longitudinal treatment study examined whether Attributional Retraining (AR) facilitated adjustment among young adults (n = 324) making the challenging school-to-university transition. An AR by performance orientation group 2 × 4 design showed AR primarily benefited high-risk students: Failure-ruminators (high failure preoccupation, low perceived control) receiving AR reported higher intrinsic motivation and more adaptive attribution-related emotions than their no-AR peers. Failure-acceptors (low failure preoccupation, low perceived control) receiving AR had higher intrinsic motivation, higher grade point averages, and fewer course withdrawals than their no-AR counterparts. Thus, AR had differential benefits (emotions, achievement) for vulnerable students who were psychologically distinct.     

Creativity and performance appraisal: Shall never the twain meet?

This article explores the need for performance appraisal systems that are designed to meet the unique motivational and performance needs of creative employees. The dimensions and special needs of creative behavior are drawn from the literature and defined; the state of performance appraisal is reviewed; and a preliminary investigation to determine what can be learned on the subject from the current practice of performance appraisal is reported. Implications for further research and improvement in the practice of performance appraisal for creative employees are discussed.     

Walking Down the Sunny Side of the Street: Three Studies Developing a Spiritually Nuanced Measure of Optimism

Across a series of studies, an effort was made to operationalize optimism in a spiritually nuanced fashion. In the first study, it was proposed and tested that spiritual optimism might consist of two factors: “here and now” and “end of story” optimism. However, a second study suggested that spiritual optimism had more of a unitary quality. The second study also suggested that the construct of spiritual optimism was separate from the construct of hope. The third study confirmed the unitary nature of the spiritual optimism measure and provided evidence for the construct validity of the measure. Spiritual optimism was directly related to a general measure of coping and a measure of religious coping. The relationships between spiritual optimism and different types of religious coping appeared stronger than between spiritual optimism and the more general measures of coping.     

Type a behaviour,social contact and coronary death

Abstract

The risk of coronary death associated with Type A behaviour (Framingham definition) and social contact was examined using a retrospective case-control design. Logistic regression analysis of 134 male cases and 339 controls showed that increased risk was associated with Type B behaviour, and independently with limited social contact. Discussion focuses on issues surrounding the use of retrospective, proxy data; and on the speculation that Type A behaviour may increase risk of non-fatal coronary events, but protect against coronary death.     

Declining medical decision-making capacity in mild AD: a two-year longitudinal study

This is a report of a two-year longitudinal study comparing healthy older adult subjects (n = 15) and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients (n = 20) using an objective performance measure of medical decision-making capacity (MDC). Capacity to consent to medical treatment was measured using the Capacity to Consent to Treatment Instrument (CCTI). The CCTI is a psychometric measure that tests MDC using a series of four core capacity standards: S1 (evidencing/communicating choice), S3 (appreciating consequences), S4 (providing rational reasons), and S5 (understanding treatment situation), and one experimental standard [S2] (making the reasonable treatment choice). For each standard, mild AD patients were assigned one of three capacity outcomes (capable, marginally capable, or incapable) based on cut-off scores derived from control group performance.At baseline, mild AD patients performed equivalently with controls on simple standards of evidencing a choice (S1) and making the reasonable choice ([S2]), but significantly below controls on complex standards of appreciation, reasoning, and understanding (S3, S4, and S5) (p < 0.02). Control performance was stable over time on all capacity standards. At one-year follow-up, the mild AD group did not show significant decline from baseline on any capacity standard. However, at two-year follow-up the mild AD group showed significant declines from baseline on the three complex standards (S3, S4, and S5) (p < 0.02), and a trend on one of the simple standards (S1). Over the two-year period, the proportion of marginally capable and incapable outcomes in the AD group increased substantially for four of the five standards (S1, S3, S4, and S5). Performance on [S2] remained stable over time in the AD group.We conclude that mild AD patients have impaired MDC at baseline, and demonstrate significant additional decline on complex consent abilities of appreciation, reasoning, and understanding over a two-year period. AD patients also show emerging impairment on the simple consent ability of evidencing choice at two-year follow-up. Capacity outcome data reflect similar declines over time for these four consent standards. The findings suggest the value of early assessment and regular monitoring at two-year intervals of MDC in patients with mild AD.