High Aspirations: Differences in Employee Satisfaction Between University Faculty and Staff

Employee satisfaction surveys were examined for five universities in the US, UK and Canada, selected because they presented results for faculty and other staff separately. Faculty consistently score more negatively on employee satisfaction across a wide range of areas. The most negative responses are for areas such as personal/worklife balance, work demands/workload, university direction, and whether the employee would choose to work at the same institution again/would recommend it for employment. The results are consistent with previous studies which have shown that education level is negatively associated with job satisfaction. The results suggest that university faculty have high aspirations, since in a number of indicators faculty working conditions appear superior to those of staff (tenure; average income; sabbatical leaves; work control; involvement and consultation in university decision-making), although junior faculty prior to tenure may experience more stress than staff. Employers undertaking employee satisfaction surveys need to take into account systematic differences in aspirations among their employees, when interpreting survey results.     

Theism, Evolutionary Epistemology, and Two Theories of Truth

In Michael Ruse's recent publications, such as Taking Darwin Seriously (1998) and Evolutionary Naturalism (1995), he has advocated a certain sort of evolutionary epistemology and has argued that it implies a rejection of metaphysical realism (MR) in favor of a position that he calls "internal realism" (IR). Additionally, he has maintained that, insofar as his evolutionary epistemology implies a rejection of MR in favor of IR, it escapes the kind of argument against naturalism that Alvin Plantinga makes in his Warrant and Proper Function (1993). In this article I explain the relevant views and arguments of Ruse and Plantinga, and I critically engage with Ruse's views, arguing that (1) his case for rejecting MR has no essential connection to evolutionary considerations; (2) his case for rejecting MR depends upon internalist assumptions about the nature of knowledge that are in need of some kind of defense; and (3) given his implicit internalism and his commitment to IR, his argument for rejecting MR can be used against his IR.     

Distinguishing Constructs from Variables in Designing Research

Current research practices often conflate theoretical constructs and explanatory hypotheses with variables and predicted effects, to the detriment of research progress. This has led to the use of procedures such as manipulation checks, mediation analysis, and boundary conditions predicated on the idea that matching constructs to variables is necessary to validate that a theory corresponds to an effect . An alternative perspective, Inference to the Best Explanation (IBE), calls for designing research to exploit the power of distinguishing constructs from variables, hypotheses from predictions, and theory from effects. IBE calls for stating hypotheses (Hs) about construct‐to‐construct relationships and, separately, the predictions (Ps) about variable‐to‐variable effects that are explained by the hypotheses. In addition, articles should include disparate effects, a single explanation covering all studies, and a discussion of the use of the research in specific problem contexts. The application of IBE is illustrated with research investigating when judgments are based on a feeling about the ease of information retrieval versus the information content itself.     

The relationship between sleep and working memory in children with neurological conditions

The objective of this study is to investigate whether sleep problems might account for the increased working memory deficits observed in school-aged children with neurological conditions. A novel, transdiagnostic approach to the investigation was chosen, and sleep is treated as a process that can potentially account for working memory difficulties across a range of neurological conditions. Prevalence estimates of sleep problems are also examined. Archival data of 237 children aged 6 to 11 years were collected from a Western Australian statewide neuropsychological service for the period 26 July 2011 to 14 January 2014. Measures of parent-reported sleep quality, snoring, and daytime sleepiness were obtained, in addition to objective measures of verbal and spatial working memory, storage capacity, and processing speed. The results of the data analysis reveal that over one third of participants reported having clinically-significant levels of sleep problems and that poor sleep quality is significantly associated with verbal working memory difficulties. This association remains after partialling out the variance contributed to performance by storage capacity and processing speed, suggesting that sleep is impacting upon an executive component of working memory. No other significant associations are observed. The results suggest that poor sleep quality is associated with an executive component of verbal (rather than spatial) working memory in children with neurological conditions. This has implications for the biological mechanisms thought to underlie the relationship between sleep and cognition in children. The results also demonstrate the clinical utility of a transdiagnostic approach when investigating sleep and cognition in children with neurological conditions.     

Test of a social cognitive model of work satisfaction in teachers

Lent and Brown [Lent, R. W., & Brown, S. D. (2006). Integrating person and situation perspectives on work satisfaction: A social-cognitive view. Journal of Vocational Behavior,69, 236-247] recently proposed an integrative model of work satisfaction linked to social cognitive career theory. The model posits that work satisfaction is predicted by five classes of variables: work conditions, goal progress, self-efficacy, goal and efficacy relevant supports, and personality traits (e.g., positive affect). We tested this model in a sample of 366 teachers, finding good overall model-data fit. Of the five predictor classes, work conditions, self-efficacy, and positive affect were each found to explain unique predictive variance. This suggests that teachers who are most satisfied with their jobs see their work environment as supportive, are confident in their abilities to complete work-related tasks and goals, and report high levels of trait positive affect. Findings also offered support for the contention that measures of subjective person-environment fit may not be empirically distinct from work satisfaction. Implications of these findings for future research and applied efforts are considered.     

Perceived Overqualification: A Multi-Source Investigation of Psychological Predisposition and Contextual Triggers

ABSTRACT. Although employee (subjective) perceived overqualification (POQ) has recently been explored as a meaningful organizational construct, further work is needed to fully understand it. We extend the theoretical psychological underpinnings of employee POQ and examine both its determinants and outcomes based on established and newly proposed theoretical developments. Four-hundred and fifteen employees completed an online questionnaire and 208 of their supervisors completed corresponding surveys about the employees’ withdrawal behaviors and job-related attitudes, in order to explore potential predictors and outcomes of subjectively experienced POQ. Among the predictors, work conditions (uniform requirements and repetitive tasks) were most strongly associated with POQ. In terms of individual differences, narcissism predicted higher POQ while general mental ability only did when holding other variables constant. In addition, among the outcomes, higher POQ was related to lower job satisfaction and organizational commitment, but was not related to withdrawal behaviors such as truancy, absenteeism, and turnover intentions.     

Le workaholisme dans une université française : une perspective transactionnelle

The aim of this research is to examine the phenomenon of workaholism with the staff of a French University. Three hundred and four employees completed measures of workaholism, personality and working conditions in order to study this phenomenon from a transactional perspective. Data analysis confirms the four hypotheses. Personality–in particular neuroticism–appears associated with workaholism. Working conditions also explain an additional proportion of variance of the phenomenon. In addition, workaholism does not appear to have serious consequences in terms of adaptation or professional medical and psychological disorders. Finally, interest is noted in direction of a differentiated study of the publics: if professors and teachers have higher level of workaholism than the technical and administrative staff, the origin is more for the professors and the teachers in individual characteristics expressed. The discussion raises some limitations of the research and outlines future prospects.     

Analysing driver’s decision in dilemma zone at signalized intersections under disordered traffic conditions

Delay in the decision-making process of stop or go during the amber phase of the signal cycle often leads to abrupt hard deceleration or red light violations at signalized intersections. The indecisiveness or the dilemma in decision making often results in compromised safety of the road users. The present study attempts to analyze the driver’s behaviour in order to make the decision of stop or go and developed a binary logistic regression model while considering different traffic behaviour parameters exhibited and observed after the onset of the amber phase. Empirical vehicular trajectory data from three signalized intersections covering 121 signal cycles and 1347 vehicles are used in the study. The study presents two dilemma zone identification models based on distance from the stop line, focusing on easy-to-use and static driver assistance and dynamic-realtime driver assistance systems. Both the models are observed to show good fit and prediction accuracy. The models are validated internally and externally for their adaptability in the field. The effect of different traffic parameters on the dilemma zone is explored, and a possible real-time application of the dynamic model as a driver assistance system in decision-making is explored.     

Having both hands on the steering wheel: Driving behaviour of white-collar workers with degenerative eye conditions

Because people in the United States are highly reliant on cars for transportation, individuals with restricted driving abilities face severe accessibility constraints in the labour market. Guided by the social exclusion framework, we used a qualitative approach to gain insights into the role of car driving and alternative commute modes in the lives of white-collar workers with degenerative eye conditions. The study participants gradually restricted their driving behaviour as the disease progressed. They also exhibited several types of commute solutions, which lent themselves to a variation in the experienced degree of exclusion (both between participants and within participants over time), with changes in vision state and available resources. Another aim of our study was to identify the motivations for driving behaviour. The results showed that while a desire to reduce the risk of an accident motivated the participants to stop driving, certain normative (for men) and practical considerations motivated participants to continue driving. While all of the participants eventually stopped driving due to vision decline, the decision to quit often occurred only after the participants experienced one or more car accidents. Workplace accessibility is a factor that hinders labour market participation of individuals with degenerative eye conditions and encourages individuals to engage in risky behaviour.     

Alcohol use and problem drinking in South Africa: Results from a national-population-based survey 2014-2015

The aim of this study was to estimate the pattern of alcohol use among South African adults by their socio-demographic and health status indicators. We analysed data from a 2014–2015 South African national population-based survey which sampled 22 752 adults (mean age 37.1 years, SD?=?17.6, age range of 15–109 years). Results indicate 3.9% were hazardous or harmful alcohol users. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, both men and women who self-reported to use tobacco, and women to have hypertension, were at higher risk for harmful alcohol use. Age and socioeconomic status moderated harmful alcohol use among men so that those in middle age (35–49 years) and with above average household income were at lower risk for hazardous or harmful alcohol use. Socio-demographic factors appear to primarily influence risk for hazardous or harmful alcohol use among South African adults.