Higher Cost,Lower Validity and Higher Utility: Comparing the Utilities of Two Tests that Differ in Validity,Costs and Selectivity

Traditional approaches to comparing the utility of two tests have not systematically considered the effects of different levels of selectivity that are feasible and appropriate in various selection situations. For example, employers who hope to avoid adverse impact often find they can be more selective with some tests than with others. We conducted two studies to compare the utilities of two tests that differ in costs, validity, and feasible levels of selectivity which can be employed. First, an analytical solution was conducted starting with a standard formula for utility. This analysis showed that for both fixed and variable hiring costs, a higher-cost, lower-validity procedure can have higher utility than a lower-cost, higher-validity procedure when the selection ratios permissible using the two procedures are sufficiently (yet realistically) different. Second, using a computer simulation method, several combinations of the critical variables were varied systematically to detect the limits of this effect in a finite set of specific selection situations. The results showed that the existence of more severe levels of adverse impact greatly reduced the utility of a written test with relatively high validity and low cost in comparison with an assessment center with lower validity and higher cost. Both studies showed that the consideration of selectivity can yield surprising conclusions about the comparative utility of two tests. Even if one test has lower validity and higher cost than a second test, the first may yield higher utility if it allows the organization to exercise stricter levels of selectivity.     

REDUCED-HOURS JOB-ROLE QUALITY AND LIFE SATISFACTION AMONG MARRIED WOMEN PHYSICIANS WITH CHILDREN

Interest in reduced-hours career options has been sparked by recent studies indicating an increase in the work week, especially among professional and managerial employees, a preference among all employees to reduce work hours substantially, and the perception that the absence of reduced-hours career options is an obstacle to professional advancement. Interest has also been fueled by the growing numbers of dual-earner couples whose ability to manage work/family demands might be facilitated by reduced-hours options. Yet, the belief that part-time work is associated with beneficial health effects has received scant empirical support. Building on prior research with full-time employees, we hypothesized that the quality of the experience of working reduced hours would better predict life satisfaction than would work hours per sc. This hypothesis, which we tested in a sample of female reduced-hours physicians with children in two-earner couples, was supported.     

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder symptoms in an adult sample: Associations with Cloninger’s temperament and character dimensions

Relationships between C.R. Cloninger’s temperament and character dimensions and the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms of inattention (IA) and hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI) were examined in 231 adults from the general population. Regression analyses that predicated overall ADHD, IA and HI by the seven temperament/character dimensions revealed: IA was predicted positively by Harm Avoidance and negatively by Self-Directedness; HI was predicted positively by Persistence; and overall ADHD was predicted negatively by Self-Directedness. These findings are also interpreted in terms of current theories of ADHD, and the related original and revised versions of Gray’s reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST) of personality.     

Anticipating action in complex scenes

In four experiments we explored the accuracy of memory for human action using displays with continuous motion. In Experiment 1, a desktop virtual environment was used to visually simulate ego‐motion in depth, as would be experienced by a passenger in a car. Using a task very similar to that employed in typical studies of representational momentum we probed the accuracy of memory for an instantaneous point in space/time, finding a consistent bias for future locations. In Experiment 2, we used the same virtual environment to introduce a new “interruption” paradigm in which the sensitivity to displacements during a continuous event could be assessed. Thresholds for detecting displacements in ego‐position in the direction of motion were significantly higher than those opposite the direction of motion. In Experiments 3 and 4 we extended previous work that has shown anticipation effects for frozen action photographs or isolated human figures by presenting observers with short video sequences of complex crowd scenes. In both experiments, memory for the stopping position of the video was shifted forward, consistent with representational momentum. Interestingly, when the video sequences were played in reverse, the magnitude of this forward bias was larger. Taken together, the results of all four experiments suggest that even when presented with complex, continuous motion, the visual system may sometimes try to anticipate the outcome of our own and others' actions.     

Applicants' and Employees' Reactions to Corporate Social Responsibility: The Moderating Effects of First‐Party Justice Perceptions and Moral Identity

This research explored individuals’ reactions to perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) using a multimotive framework. In 2 studies, the authors explored the boundary conditions of CSR effects among job applicants and internal employees. A scenario‐based experiment (N = 81) showed that the effect of CSR perceptions on job applicants’ job pursuit intentions was mitigated by applicants’ first‐party justice experiences, whereas it was amplified by their moral identity (Study 1). Survey data from 245 full‐time employees (Study 2) further supported the interactive effects revealed in Study 1. Specifically, first‐party justice perceptions attenuated the positive relationship between employees’ CSR perceptions and their organizational citizenship behavior (OCB); and the relationship between CSR perceptions and OCB was more pronounced among employees high (versus low) in moral identity. Our findings bridge the CSR and organizational justice literatures, and reveal that the effects of individuals’ CSR perceptions are more complicated than previously thought. The findings shed light on micro (employee)‐level CSR phenomena and offer implications for both research and practice.     

GENDER AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MARITAL-ROLE QUALITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS

In this paper, we estimate the association between marital-role quality and psychological distress in a sample of 300 full-time employed women and men in dual-earner couples. We control for such individual-level variables as age, education, occupational prestige, and job-role quality, and for such couple-level variables as length of marriage, parental status, and household income. We then compare the magnitude of this effect for men and for women and for parents and nonparents. Results indicate that in dual-earner couples marital-role quality is signifycantly negatively associated with psychological distress for women as well as men and that the magnitude of the effect depends little, if at all, on gender or on parental status. These findings challenge the view that marital experiences more significantly influence women's mental health states than men's. The results are discussed in the context of identity theory.     

A long‐term fatty fish intervention improved executive function in inpatients with antisocial traits and a history of alcohol and drug abuse

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of fatty fish consumption on cognitive functioning in a group of inpatients characterized by antisocial behavior. Eighty‐three male forensic inpatients participated in this study. Participants were randomly assigned into a Fish or a Control group (e.g., meat, chicken, pork). One decision‐making task, the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), and one planning task, the Tower of Hanoi (ToH), were administered before (pre‐test) and at the end of the intervention period (post‐test). For the IGT the Fish group showed improved performance from pre‐ to post‐ test. Moreover, the Fish group showed significantly better performance than the Control group on the IGT at post‐test. The Fish group also demonstrated improved performance from pre‐ to post‐test on the ToH; however, this was limited to participants with a history of substance abuse. Further, the improvement was only significant for tasks with high working memory load (5–7 move problems), and not for tasks with low working memory load (1–4 move problems). The Control group showed no improvement on any of the tasks regardless of alcohol or drug abuse history. The present study suggests that regular fatty fish consumption may improve executive functions in forensic inpatients with antisocial traits and a history of substance abuse. Thus, the current results may have important implications with regard to health care interventions.     

Development and Evaluation of a Decision Aid for BRCA Carriers with Breast Cancer

BRCA+ breast cancer patients face high risk for a second breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Helping these women decide among risk-reducing options requires effectively conveying complex, emotionally-laden, information. To support their decision-making needs, we developed a web-based decision aid (DA) as an adjunct to genetic counseling. Phase 1 used focus groups to determine decision-making needs. These findings and the Ottawa Decision Support Framework guided the DA development. Phase 2 involved nine focus groups of four stakeholder types (BRCA+ breast cancer patients, breast cancer advocates, and genetics and oncology professionals) to evaluate the DA's decision-making utility, information content, visual display, and implementation. Overall, feedback was very favorable about the DA, especially a values and preferences ranking-exercise and an output page displaying personalized responses. Stakeholders were divided as to whether the DA should be offered at-home versus only in a clinical setting. This well-received DA will be further tested to determine accessibility and effectiveness.