Fairness And Performance-Enhancing Swimsuits AT The 2009 Swimming World Championships: The ‘Asterisk’ Championships

The use of polyurethane swimsuits at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships resulted in world records being set for almost all swimming events. This paper explores the implications that the use of these performance-enhancing swimsuits had on fairness in relative and absolute outcomes in swimming. I claim that the use of ‘super swimsuits’ unfairly influenced relative outcomes within the competition because not all swimmers used, or had access to, the same types of swimsuit (some of which were clearly ‘faster’ than others). Furthermore, I claim that the use of performance-enhancing swimsuits by current competitors unfairly influences inter-temporal relative outcomes. It is evident that competitors and coaches in elite swimming place great importance on making inter-temporal comparisons on the basis of absolute outcomes in the sport (as measured by a swimmer's race time). A ban on the use of super swimsuits may be justified in order to preserve the fairness of such inter-temporal comparisons, and records set using performance-enhancing swimsuits at the 2009 World Championships should be demarcated from others.     

Review of The Supervisor's Guidebook: Evidence-Based Strategies for Promoting Work Quality and Enjoyment Among Human Service Staff (2nd edition) by Dennis Reid,Marsha Parsons,and Carolyn Green

This article summarizes a review of the book The Supervisor's Guidebook: Evidence-Based Strategies for Promoting Work Quality and Enjoyment Among Human Service Staff (2nd edition) by Reid, Parsons, and Green. We describe the book's organization and content. In addition, strengths and areas for improvement are noted. The book provides rich, relevant content to guide supervisory practices within a participative, evidence-based approach that could be applied in various human service settings.     

An experimental analysis of decision channeling by restrictive information display

This study focuses on the effect of restrictive information display on decision performance. Specifically the study examines whether two‐channeled and one non‐channeled computerized information display systems result in significant differences in decision accuracy. The two‐channeled information display systems are designed to encourage two general information processing patterns commonly observed in the experimental literature examining multi‐alternative, multi‐attribute choice decisions: information processing by alternative and information processing by attribute. An information display program was developed which used restrictive information display to operationalize the channeled versus non‐channeled manipulation. Channeling was implemented either by displaying information only by alternative or by displaying information only by attribute. The task was an operations scheduling problem that subjects completed under three levels of time pressure. The results indicate statistically significant effects on decision accuracy for both the type of information display and time pressure manipulations. The highest decision accuracy was observed when information was displayed by alternative and when subjects were under highest levels of time pressure. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stress and Student Job Design: Satisfaction, Well-Being, and Performance in University Students

It is imperative that the university environment be supportive and capable of nurturing optimal learning and performance in students. Using job design and work stress theories, the study assessed relationships between psychosocial work characteristics, well-being and satisfaction, and performance in a random sample survey of Australian university students (N = 176). Methodological improvements were a time lag between survey and performance measures, an objective measure of performance, and LISREL structural equation modeling. Results showed high levels of psychological distress and low levels of satisfaction, both linked to high demands combined with low control. In accord with the happy-productive student hypothesis, satisfaction mediated the impact of the work environment on performance. Reengineering the design of the student work environment may therefore improve performance outcomes (student grades) through enhancing satisfaction.     

基于行为的绩效评定方法的研究进展

从20世纪60年代至今,基于行为的绩效评定一直是各类组织的主要绩效评定方法。基于工作结果的非判断性绩效测量有其难以克服的局限,各种基于工作行为的判断性绩效测量方法相继开发出来。行为指标的筛选成为研究的主要问题之一。组织公民行为、区分作业绩效与关系绩效等研究,向基于行为的绩效评定提出了新的问题。     

考前焦虑、成就目标和考试成绩关系的研究

该研究以238名参与者为样本,对其考前焦虑、成就目标及高考成绩进行了考察,采用相关分析和回归分析技术探讨了三者之间的关系.结果表明,高考生的焦虑水平远远高于一般正常人;考前焦虑与掌握趋近目标显著负相关,与掌握回避目标和成绩回避目标显著正相关.掌握趋近目标和掌握回避目标是状态焦虑的预测变量,而特质焦虑的预测变量同时包括四种目标定向;高考总分和英语与考前焦虑显著负相关,成就目标与高考成绩的相关较弱.