The Validity of Conscientiousness for Predicting Job Performance: A meta‐analytic test of two hypotheses

This study examined two hypotheses regarding the moderating effects of job characteristics on the validity of personality. Using meta‐analytic techniques, the authors explored the extent to which the structural characteristics and cognitive ability requirements of jobs influence the role of conscientiousness in predicting performance. The results suggest that conscientiousness is a stronger predictor of performance in jobs that are highly routinized, and a weaker predictor of performance in jobs with high levels of cognitive ability requirements. Implications for theory and future research are discussed.     

Aging and Memory in Skilled Language Performance

The issue of irreversible decrements versus developmental plasticity with aging was explored for skilled language users. Fifteen English teachers (22 to 31 years of age) and 15 retired English teachers (50 to 83 years of age) were tested for language memory, using a 2 × 2 × 2 (Recall vs. Recognition × Meaningful vs. Nonmeaningful × Incidental vs. Intentional) design, and for overall grammar-skill memory, using speed and error measures. On the language-memory test, experimental variables (but not the age variable) were related to performance. On the grammar-skill test, the older subjects showed longer completion times but no decrements in accuracy. The results provided support for developmental plasticity in language memory and suggested an optimistic view of memory for skilled content areas.     

Book Reviews

In this paper the strategy for the eliminative reduction of the alethic modalities suggested by John Venn is outlined and it is shown to anticipate certain related contemporary empiricistic and nominalistic projects. Venn attempted to reduce the alethic modalities to probabilities, and thus suggested a promising solution to the nagging issue of the inclusion of modal statements in empiricistic philosophical systems. However, despite the promise that this suggestion held for laying the ‘ghost of modality’ to rest, this general approach, tempered modal eliminativism, is shown to be inadequate for that task.     

Implicit Theories of Mental Skills Abilities in Collegiate Athletes

We aimed at studying athletes' mental skills-related implicit beliefs and their susceptibility to changes. Collegiate athletes (n = 68) responded to the Theories of Mental Skills scale to determine their implicit beliefs of mental skills abilities within sport. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of two manipulation articles and complete a mental skills task. Following the manipulation, participants' beliefs were reassessed to determine changes from pre- to postmanipulation. The results revealed that implicit beliefs could be manipulated, shedding light on the malleability of implicit beliefs. The findings provide information on the nature of athletes' perceptions of mental skills.     

Book reviews

Colley, A. M. & Beech, J. R. (Eds.). (1988). Cognition and action in skilled behaviour. Amsterdam: North-Holland. Pp. 425. ISBN 0-444-70493-0. $108

Coltherat, M. Sartori, G. & Job, R. (Eds.) (1987). The cognitive neuropsychology of language. Hove & London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Ltd. Pp. 416. ISBN 0-86377-036-3. £29.95

Shallice, T. (1988). From neuropsychology to mental structure. Cambridge: Cmbridge University Press. Pp. 462. ISBN 0-521-30874-7, £40.00 (hardback); ISBN 0-521-31360-0. £15.00 (paperback)

Levelt, W. J. M. (1989). Speaking: from intention to articulation. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Pp. 355. ISBN 0-262-12137-9. £35.95

Hargreaves, D. J. (Ed.) (1989). Children and the arts. Milton Keynes: Open University Press. Pp: 176. ISBN 0335-098819, £27.50. 9 (hardback); ISBN 0335-098800, £9.90 (paperback).

De Valois, R. L. & De Valois, K. K. (1988). Spatial vision. New York: Oxford University Pass. Pp 381. ISBN 0-19-505019-3. £65.00     

Caregiver models of self and others, coping, and depression: predictors of depression in children with chronic pain.

In a sample of 59 chronically ill pediatric patients and their maternal caregivers, both child-reported pain and caregiver-reported depression predicted child-reported depression. Results further suggested that the association between pain and depression in children is ameliorated by caregiver coping strategies and that how caregivers cope is a function of their attachment-related representations of the self and others. Caregivers with a negative model of the self were more depressed. and those with a negative model of others were more prone to use avoidant coping strategies, and, in turn, to be more depressed. However, the extent to which caregivers with negative models of self used more avoidant and less approach coping appeared to depend on whether they perceived that others were likely to respond to their needs.     

Rorschach intercoder reliability for protocol-level comprehensive system variables in an international sample

This study examines the intercoder reliability of Rorschach Comprehensive System (CS; Exner, 2001) protocol-level variables. A large international sample was combined to obtain intercoder agreement for 489 Rorschach protocols coded using the CS. Intercoder agreement was calculated using an Iota coefficient, a statistical coefficient similar to kappa that is corrected for chance. Iota values for the variables analyzed ranged from .31 to 1.00, with 2 in the poor range of agreement, 4 in the fair range, 25 in the good range, and 116 in the excellent range of agreement. Discrepancies between variables are discussed.     

Attachment, self-compassion, empathy, and subjective well-being among college students and community adults

Research on subjective well-being suggests that it is only partly a function of environmental circumstances. There may be a personality characteristic or a resilient disposition toward experiencing high levels of well-being even in unfavorable circumstances. Adult attachment may contribute to this resilient disposition. This study examined whether the association between attachment anxiety and subjective well-being was mediated by Neff's (2003a, 2003b) concept of self-compassion. It also examined empathy toward others as a mediator in the association between attachment avoidance and subjective well-being. In Study 1, 195 college students completed self-report surveys. In Study 2, 136 community adults provided a cross-validation of the results. As expected, across these 2 samples, findings suggested that self-compassion mediated the association between attachment anxiety and subjective well-being, and emotional empathy toward others mediated the association between attachment avoidance and subjective well-being.