Risky choice as a function of amount and variance in food supply.

In Experiment 1, 4 rats earned their daily food ration by choosing on a trials basis between a "risky" and a "riskless" lever. The risky lever produced either 15 45-mg food pellets or no pellets, and on average provided five pellets per choice. The riskless lever always produced three pellets. Across conditions, the number of trials per session was varied. Body weight and choice of the risky lever decreased as the number of trials per session decreased, even though body weight could only be defended by increased choice of the risky lever. In Experiment 2, trials per session were fixed, but the number of pellets delivered by the risky and riskless levers was either at the same level as in Experiment 1 or tripled from those levels. Now choice of the risky lever was inversely related to the size of reinforcement and to body weight. The results of these experiments show that risk aversion covaries with the amount of food available in a session and the daily variance in the amount of food earned.     

Most family physicians report communicating the risks of adverse drug reactions in words (vs. numbers)

Family physicians can communicate to patients the risk of adverse drug reactions using words or numbers, and this format has important implications for patients' ability to make informed decisions. The present study (a) assessed which formats family physicians preferred to communicate the risk of a given side effect, (b) tested whether the severity of this adverse drug reaction affected this preference, and (c) investigated the type of quantifiers physicians preferred to use in general (e.g., ratios, percentages). In a format selection task, a sample of 131 family physicians reported that they mostly use words to communicate to patients the risk of mild and severe adverse drug reactions, but the verbal preference was weaker for severe adverse drug reactions. The quantifier selection task showed that the most common quantifiers were verbal frequencies and verbal probabilities. Family physicians and patients should be aware of the implications of this preference.     

The effects of labelling,expert testimony,and information processing mode on juror decisions in SVP civil commitment trials

Expert witnesses offering testimony in sexually violent predator civil commitment trials may use diagnostic labels that are either familiar (e.g. ‘psychopath’) or unfamiliar (e.g. ‘paraphilia’) to jurors. Using predictions based on cognitive experiential self-theory, we explored the influence of testimony type (clinical versus actuarial) and diagnostic label (psychopath versus paraphilia) on jurors motivated to adopt either an experiential processing mode (PM; in which heuristic cues may be strongly relied upon) or an analytic rational PM. Consistent with previous research, our results indicated that when given a psychopathic diagnostic label, mock jurors motivated to process information experientially were more influenced by clinical testimony, whereas mock jurors induced into a rational mode were more influenced by actuarial testimony. However, experientially oriented jurors given a paraphilia diagnostic label did not show the expected influence of clinical expert testimony, and instead were more persuaded by actuarial testimony. These findings are discussed from a judgement and heuristics cues framework. The implications of several procedural suggestions are examined. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Perspectives on international collaboration in sales research

Abstract

International research collaboration and co-authorship among scholars is always encouraged, yet it comes with its share of difficulties. While globalization brings its own challenges in sales, this special issue focuses on the challenges of fostering international collaboration in sales research. Such perspective is important in today’s academic context for three main reasons. First, international collaboration in research forces scholars to take an international perspective on research problems and thus consider fields of study that may transcend cultural boundaries. Second, with international research collaboration indubitably comes broader exchanges of ideas. Having a breadth of perspectives is at the very essence of scholastic work. Third, international research collaborations can drive intellectual communities to embrace important global challenges confronting modern sales organizations.     

企业员工自我职业生涯管理的影响因素

通过问卷研究方法,研究了影响企业员工自我职业生涯管理的组织及个人心理因素,其中组织因素主要是组织开展的职业生涯管理,个人心理因素主要是掌握动机、超越动机和一般自我效能感。先通过对13家企业的449名被试的研究,确立了研究所使用的相关问卷的项目和信度、效度。然后再通过对11家企业所搜集的399份有效问卷的分析,结果表明：组织和个人心理因素均对自我职业生涯管理有积极的影响,特别是组织职业生涯管理和超越动机影响力比较大     

组织内信任对任务绩效的影响效应

通过问卷调查,对组织内信任与工作绩效之间的关系进行了研究。研究采用结构方程建模方法,通过建构6个嵌套模型和2个非嵌套模型,将其与假设模型进行比较验证研究假设。结果表明,个体对于直接领导、同事和高层管理者的信任都会对个体的工作绩效产生影响,并且彼此间的效应相互独立,彼此互补。同时,研究也讨论了多种不同信任对个体工作行为产生影响的过程中,个体对不同对象知觉对其行为复杂影响,并发现对高层管理者信任对工作绩效的影响效应部分由对直接领导的信任中介     

基于胜任特征模型的人力资源开发

基于胜任特征模型（CompetencyModel）的探索,建立新型的人力资源开发与管理体系,是上世纪70年代以来,组织行为学和人力资源管理理论研究的前沿课题之一。文章主要介绍作者及其领导的课题组自80年代以来,基于我国社会经济转型时期和文化背景的差异,在不同行业的胜任特征模型的建构、及其相关的领导行为研究方面的探索和发现。由于胜任特征模型也是人力资源开发和应用方面的热点问题,文章还介绍了胜任特征模型在国内人力资源开发、管理体系建设实践应用方面的进展。并对于未来开展本领域的理论研究和实践应用提出了建议     

Does a self management intervention lower distress in woman diagnosed with breast cancer?1

Psychological distress is particularly common with any cancer diagnosis. This paper examined the psychological distress in a cohort of women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and postulates on the underlying theory. A longitudinal study of a cohort of women (n = 147) diagnosed with breast cancer (within the past 1 year), was conducted at University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur. Data were collected at baseline and at post 4‐week intervention. Analysis of variance was conducted to examine for any significant differences in the change‐scores between the experimental group (n = 69) and the control group (n = 78). Using the change scores, analyses of variance showed significant differences between groups for stress, F(1, 140) = 13.68, p < .0001, anxiety F(1, 140) = 8.44, p < .004, and depression, F(1, 140) = 11.57, p < .0001. Levels of stress, anxiety and depression generally decreased significantly in the experimental groups, p < .05, but either maintained or increased in the control group. This study indicates that the level of psychological distress of women with breast cancer can be ameliorated with a 4‐week self‐management intervention. Lower stress levels were also found in women who reported engagement in higher physical activity than women with low physical activity.     

Working with suicidal clients: The person‐centred counsellor's experience and understanding of risk assessment

Background: Client risk assessment within the person‐centred paradigm is traditionally seen as squarely opposed to its ethos. Aim: To determine how the person‐centred counsellor experiences and understands the issue of risk assessment within the confines of their work ethos. Method: Semi‐structured interviews with seven person‐centred counsellors using thematic analysis were conducted. Findings: Three main themes emerged following thematic analysis: The impact of the risk assessment process on self; The counsellor's experience of self, and The therapeutic process in relation to risk assessment. Discussion: The findings suggest that person‐centred counsellors conduct risk assessments taking a holistic approach involving not only individual risk predictors and characteristics of the client but also individual factors related to self.