Information distortion in the evaluation of a single option

Extending previous work on biased predecisional processing, we investigate the distortion of information during the evaluation of a single option. A coherence-based account of the evaluation task suggests that individuals will form an initial assessment of favorability toward the option and then bias their evaluation of subsequent information to cohere with their initial disposition. Three experiments tested this hypothesis. Initial disposition was manipulated (Studies 1 and 3) or measured (Study 2), and attribute ratings were collected as indicators of information distortion. Results from all three experiments indicate that attribute evaluations were biased to favor initial dispositions. These findings provide evidence that information distortion is one cause of primacy effects in judgment and decision-making settings involving a single option.     

心理治疗效果评定量表（简式）在中、德应用的心理测量学研究

419名中国和德国被试参加了本研究,并回答了若干简式心理健康量表。所选的这套量表能对心理治疗不同阶段的效果（Howard’s阶段模型：重新认识期-转变期-康复期）进行测查。本研究目的在于考察这些简式量表能否用于认知-行为治疗跨文化培训项目中的质量管理。结果显示,这些量表在中德两种文化背景下都有很高的信度和效度（聚合效度和敏感性）。尽管项目间的高相关似乎提示心理健康模型只有一个维度,但探索性因素和理论分析则更支持心理健康是一个分为8个亚维度的模型,其中每个亚维度或者与基础情绪、或者与社会性情感相连关联。本文最后就研究结果及其对心理治疗质量控制的意义进行了详细讨论     

The complexities of undertaking counselling evaluation in the workplace

There is a long-standing debate over whether evaluation is an art or a science (Barker et al.: Research Methods in Clinical and Counselling Psychology, Chichester, John Wiley?&?Sons, 1994). The “science” camp argues for scientific rigour in methodology, whilst the “art” camp maintains that evaluation should be tailored to the specific circumstances under evaluation. The compromise proposed by Barker, Pistrang,?&?Elliot (1994 Barker, C, Pistrang, N and Elliot, R. 1994. Research methods in clinical and counselling psychology, Chichester: John Wiley?&?Sons.  [Google Scholar]) suggests that evaluation should be as systematic as possible within the practical and organizational constraints inherent in service settings. The aim of this paper is to present a review of the literature on evaluation and workplace counselling. The paper initially reviews the literature in the counselling/psychotherapy field, and then explores studies on employee assistance programmes. The themes that are explored are the relationship between research and practices; the interactions with stakeholders in the field; the use of control groups and the economic side of counselling.     

经济学评价在临床决策中的应用探讨

医生在临床工作中做出明确诊断,并据此给予有效的处理均属于决策过程。制定决策的整个过程,同时也是进行决策思维的过程。近年来,高新技术的迅猛发展以及医疗费用急剧增加,使制定决策更加复杂。如何进行正确的决策思维,做出最切实可行的和最佳的决策,对避免决策的盲目性具有重要的现实意义。     

为什么无效的药物治疗会被认为有效？

把无效的治疗误认为有效,不仅在大众中非常普遍,而且很多医生也常如此。造成这种疗效假象有许多原因,主要由于疾病的自愈或自发缓解、药物和治疗的安慰效应、缺乏严格的评价疗效标准以及诊断不确实,以及把良性疾病误诊为严重或恶性疾病所造成的。对传统医疗的信仰也是原因之一。因此,对任何药物或医疗的效果必须进行严格的随机对照临床试验,并且得到同行的检验和公认。     

医学人文课程多元评价方法探讨

医学人文课程有必要实施多元评价:内容多元,涵盖知识与技能、过程与方法、情感态度与价值观3个领域的内涵;方法多元,根据不同课程的特点采用不同的评价方式;主体多元,运用教师评价、学生自评、学生互评的方法,使评价体现职业需求和学科特点,促进学生发展,并且有可操作性。     

Executive career management: Switching organizations and the boundaryless career

There has been little research examining executives who change jobs by specifically following these individuals both before and after their employer changes. By incorporating research on the boundaryless career [Arthur, M. B., & Rousseau, D. M. (Eds.). (1996). The boundaryless career: A new employment principle for a new organizational era. New York: Oxford University Press; Sullivan, S. E., & Arthur, M. B. (2006). The evolution of the boundaryless career concept: Examining physical and psychological mobility. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 69, 19-29] and applying Frank’s theory of relative standing (1985), this study examined factors that may cause executives to change jobs in the context of managing their careers. Our findings revealed that factors, such as age and compensation, were related to the likelihood of job movements as well as declining organizational health. Post-hoc analyses also indicated that executive job-changers received significantly greater increases in total compensation and were more likely to receive increases in organizational status.     

Improving Service Evaluation in Clinical Genetics: Identifying Effects of Genetic Diseases on Individuals and Families

Outcome measurement in clinical genetics is challenging. Outcome attributes used currently have been developed by service providers or adapted from measures used in other areas of healthcare. Many of the ‘patients’ in clinical genetics are healthy but at risk of developing or transmitting a condition. Usually no pharmacological or surgical treatment is offered, although information-giving is an objective of most consultations. We argue that services should be evaluated on the basis of how well they alleviate the effects of disease, from a patient perspective. This paper describes a qualitative study using seven focus groups with health professionals, patients and patient representatives. Social and emotional effects of genetics diseases were identified. Some differences emerged between the effects identified by health professionals and those identified by patients. These findings will be used to inform the evaluation of existing outcome measures and develop robust measures of outcome for clinical genetics services.     

Faulty assumptions: A comment on Blanton, Jaccard, Gonzales, and Christie (2006)

Blanton, Jaccard, Gonzales, and Christie [Blanton, H., Jaccard, J., Gonzales, P., Christie, C. (2006). Decoding the Implicit Association Test: implications for criterion prediction. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 42, 192-212.] assert that the Implicit Association Test (IAT) imposes a model that portrays relative preferences as the additive difference between single attitudes. This assertion is misplaced because relative preferences do not necessarily reduce to component attitudes. BJGC also assume that the IAT conditions represent two indicators of the same construct. This assumption is incorrect, and is the cause of their poor-fitting models. The IAT, like other experimental paradigms, contrasts performance between interdependent conditions, and cannot be reduced to component parts. This is true whether calculating a simple difference between conditions, or using the IAT D score. D—an individual effect size that is monotonically related to Cohen’s d—codifies the interdependency between IAT conditions. When their unjustified psychometric assumptions are replaced with plausible assumptions, the models fit their data very well, and basis for their poor-fitting models becomes clear.     

Controllability and resource dependence in automatic evaluation

Two studies addressed automaticity features of evaluative priming. In Study 1, participants could strategically eliminate and partially reverse priming effects although stimulus onset asynchrony between prime and target was short (275 ms) and time pressure considerable. In Study 2, priming effects under a concurrent memory load increased as measured working-memory capacity decreased. The results bear on the interpretation of evaluative priming as a measure of spontaneous evaluation, and they support an account of evaluative priming in terms of Stroop-like response conflict and synergy.