职场欺负的旁观者：角色、行为与影响机制

职场欺负作为一种消极人际行为, 会影响到与行为当事人双方处于同一生态系统的旁观者的身心健康, 而旁观者在职场欺负中的不同角色和行为(支持受欺者或实施者, 或袖手旁观)又会反过来影响职场欺负的发展态势。旁观者的公正道德观念及其对职场欺负的情绪体验, 通过社会交换和学习过程, 影响着他(或她)在职场欺负中的行为。     

工作场所的不文明行为

工作场所不文明行为违背人际相互尊重的原则, 为组织环境带来广泛的慢性危害, 但由于其表现形式温和、伤害意图不明显, 因而长期被人们所忽视。近年来, 和谐的工作环境成为各界关注的热点, 工作场所不文明行为也受到越来越多学者的关注。回顾国外研究, 对工作场所不文明行为的概念界定、测量工具、前因变量和影响结果进行了系统梳理, 在此基础上总结对制度设计和选拔培训的管理启示, 并提出测量本土化、机制情境化、层次群体化、视角动态化等未来研究方向。     

提议者的意图、相对收益与绝对收益对不同年龄回应者公平行为的影响

实验呈现了最后通牒博弈的3种分配情境：匿名者分配情境中, 匿名者提出方案, 且与被试分享资源, 故成熟的回应者需考虑意图、相对收益和绝对收益; 随机数生成器(RNG)分配情境中, 无关的匿名他人与被试分享资源, 故需考虑相对收益与绝对收益; 计算机分配情境中, 因计算机不能带走资源, 故只需考虑绝对收益。实验通过分析3种分配情境下回应者对同一分配方案的拒绝情况, 探讨意图、相对收益、绝对收益对公平行为的影响。结果发现：(1)年幼儿童(4~5岁)倾向于接受绝大多数分配方案; (2)年长儿童(9~11岁)在3种分配情境和多数分配方案上的拒绝率均高于其他组; (3)青少年(16~18岁)在方案2/8上的拒绝次数存在显著差异, 且匿名者分配情境显著多于RNG分配情境, 计算机分配情境显著多于零; 在3/7方案上的拒绝次数存在显著差异, 且计算机分配情境显著多于零; (4)成年人(21~24岁)在1/9和2/8方案上的拒绝次数存在显著差异, 且RNG分配情境显著多于计算机分配情境, 计算机分配情境显著多于零; 在 3/7方案上的拒绝次数具有显著差异, 且匿名者分配情境显著多于RNG分配情境, 计算机分配情境显著多于零。结果表明, (1)年幼儿童很难抵制绝对收益的吸引, 表现最为自利; (2)年长儿童更多考虑了相对收益, 能够抵制绝对收益的吸引, 并开始关注提议者的意图; (3)青少年处于关注提议者意图的重要时期, 主要基于意图与绝对收益进行决策; (4)成人的决策是意图、相对收益、绝对收益共同作用的结果。     

Sampling in research on interpersonal aggression

The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of convenience samples in research on interpersonal aggression among adults. It was hypothesised that convenience sampled targets of aggression differs from targets in general with regards to both demographic characteristics and degree of aggression exposed to. A convenience sample comprising support-seeking targets of workplace bullying was compared with a representative sample of Norwegian targets of bullying. The results showed that the two samples differed significantly on all demographic variables investigated, except gender. A far higher percentage of the convenience sample had blown the whistle on illegal, immoral or illegitimate practice at their workplace, whereas they also reported significantly more frequent and more intense exposure to aggression. The findings confirm that convenience samples have low external validity when generalising to the general population. Such samples should therefore mainly be used to investigate tendencies in, and the phenomenology of, interpersonal aggression, in studies where generalisability is not the principal objective.     

The relationship between objective and perceived fit with academic major, adaptability, and major-related outcomes

This study examined the effects of fit with college major on major commitment, GPA, college satisfaction, and changing one’s major. We further examined how individual adaptability may moderate the importance of fit on these outcomes. College students (N = 198; 160 women and 38 men; mean age = 19.14 years) completed an interest inventory used to assess objective fit with major, and also indicated their perceived fit with major. Results revealed little correlation between perceived fit and objective fit, with differential relationships to these outcomes. Perceived fit showed stronger positive correlations with affective major commitment and academic self-efficacy than did objective fit. Regarding the moderating role of adaptability, individuals higher in adaptability reported higher institutional satisfaction when there was lower perceived fit. Adaptability also had a main effect on major-related outcomes above and beyond the effects of fit. Practical and theoretical implications of these results are discussed.     

Intolerance of uncertainty and perceived threat

The present study examined the relations between dimensions of intolerance of uncertainty (i.e., desire for predictability and uncertainty paralysis) and perceptions of threat (i.e., perceptions of the probabilities and costs of future undesirable outcomes) in a sample of 239 college students. Uncertainty paralysis was positively associated with both perceived probabilities and perceived costs for negative outcomes. Desire for predictability was positively associated with perceived costs for negative outcomes but was not associated with perceived probabilities for negative outcomes. When probability estimates for low base rate outcomes were examined separately, desire for predictability was negatively associated with perceived probabilities. Finally, perceived threat partially mediated the relations between dimensions of intolerance of uncertainty and worry. The results of the present study suggest mechanisms through which dimensions of intolerance of uncertainty might lead to excessive worry.     

Anxiety sensitivity and perceived control over anxiety-related events: evaluating the singular and interactive effects in the prediction of anxious and fearful responding to bodily sensations

The present investigation examined the singular and interactive effects of anxiety sensitivity and perceived control over anxiety-related events in the prediction of panic symptoms using a CO(2)-enriched air biological challenge. Two hundred and twenty-nine adult participants (M(age)=21.02, SD=7.55, 124 females) were recruited from the greater Burlington, Vermont community. Results indicated that pre-challenge anxiety sensitivity, but not perceived control over anxiety-related events, significantly predicted post-challenge panic attack symptoms, anxiety focused on bodily sensations, and, interest in returning for another challenge (behavioral avoidance). In regard to physiological findings, anxiety sensitivity was significantly related to skin conductance level whereas perceived control over anxiety-related events was related to respiration rate. Neither anxiety sensitivity nor perceived control over anxiety-related events was related to heart rate. There also were no interactive effects between anxiety sensitivity and perceived control over anxiety-related events for any of the studied dependent variables. Results are discussed in relation to multi-risk factor models of cognitive vulnerability for panic psychopathology.     

When rejection by one fosters aggression against many: Multiple-victim aggression as a consequence of social rejection and perceived groupness

Two experiments examined the hypothesis that social rejection and perceived groupness function together to produce multiple-victim incidents of aggression. When a rejecter’s group membership is salient during an act of rejection, the rejectee ostensibly associates the rejecter’s group with rejection and retaliates against the group. Both experiments manipulated whether an aggregate of three persons appeared as separate individuals or members of an entity-like group and whether one of those persons rejected the participant. Consistent with the hypothesis, participants who experienced both rejection and perceived groupness behaved more aggressively against the aggregate (Experiment 1) and evidenced less favorable affective associations toward the aggregate (Experiment 2) than did participants who did not experience both rejection and perceived groupness.     

When does high procedural fairness reduce self-evaluations following unfavorable outcomes?: The moderating effect of prevention focus

The present studies were designed to delineate when procedural fairness would be more versus less likely to be inversely related to people’s self-evaluations in response to unfavorable outcomes. Prior theory and research have shown that: (1) the more that people assign psychological significance to unfavorable outcomes, the more likely are their self-evaluations to be adversely affected by such outcomes, and (2) people who are more prevention focused in their self-regulatory orientation assign greater psychological significance to unfavorable outcomes. Consequently, we predicted that in the face of unfavorable outcomes, the inverse relationship between procedural fairness and self-evaluations would be more likely to emerge among those who are more prevention focused. Using different conceptions or operationalizations of all of the independent and dependent variables, we found support for this prediction in three studies, spanning different cultures, contexts, and methodologies.     

When and how do differences matter? An exploration of perceived similarity in teams

In this paper, we directly assess perceived similarity—the degree to which members view themselves as having few differences—because we want to understand when teams notice diversity on various member characteristics and how they interpret it. Our results indicate social category diversity was related to initial estimates of both perceived social category similarity (SCS) and perceived work style similarity (WSS). And, whereas perceived SCS did not change over time, perceived WSS decreased significantly over the period of our study. We suggest this change in perceived WSS can be explained by an information-processing/decision-making framework. We found informational diversity was positively related to conflict in teams, and in turn conflict was negatively related to subsequent estimates of perceived WSS. However, informational diversity was positively related to information sharing in teams, which in turn was positively related to subsequent estimates of perceived WSS. Finally, these updated estimates of perceived WSS affected subgroup formation and team process effectiveness. We discuss how our research explores the subjective experience of diversity by team members, provides a dynamic view of the relationship between diversity and team outcomes, and informs emerging theory about the activation of faultlines in teams.