Recruiting Highly Educated Graduates: A Study on the Relationship Between Recruitment Information Sources,the Theory of Planned Behavior,and Actual Job Pursuit

Using the theory of planned behavior, we examined the effects of different recruitment-related information sources on the job pursuit of highly educated graduates. The study was conducted using a real-life longitudinal design. Participants reported on potential employers they were interested in. We used hierarchical linear modeling to analyze within-participant relationships of different information sources with the theory of planned behavior variables, job pursuit behavior, and actual job choice. The theory of planned behavior relationships was supported. Recruitment advertising and positive word of mouth related positively to job pursuit intention and behavior. Negative publicity and word of mouth partly related to job pursuit behavior, indicating their role in the recruitment process. On-campus presence related negatively to job pursuit intention and behavior, suggesting that recruiters should convey parsimonious and realistic job-related information.     

The cognitive impact of epileptiform EEG-discharges; relationship with type of cognitive task.

In this study we analyzed the effect of differing task dimensions (high vs. low information demand; short vs. long testing duration) on the occurrence of epileptiform EEG-discharges and the cognitive impact of such discharges. We performed this study only in patients with focal discharges as this appears to be the most complicated group to assess any relationship between epileptiform EEG-discharges and cognitive impairment. Seventeen patients with focal discharges in the EEG and an established diagnosis of localization-related (partial) epilepsy were included. The following tasks were used: Low information demand: auditory and visual RT; high information demand: BCRT and CVST. Short testing duration: Arithmetic and Reading; long testing duration: Vocabulary and Block Design. The percentage of patients with epileptiform EEG-discharge and EEG-related cognitive impact were compared using Chi-square testing. The occurrence of epileptiform EEG-discharges was not associated with one of the experimental conditions introduced in our study, that is, high/low information demand or short/long testing period. Also the difference between computerized reaction-time measurement and more traditional 'paper and pencil tasks' such as reading was not statistically significant. The only statistical significant difference was the more frequent occurrence of epileptiform EEG-discharges during tasks that used the visual input mode. In addition, we could identify one test that appeared to be particularly sensitive to direct cognitive effects of epileptiform EEG-discharges. Only for the CVST, the computerized visual searching task, the relationship with epilepsy-related cognitive impact is statistically significant. This test is the most mentally demanding test of the tests presented in our study and measures speed of visual information processing, using complex stimulus patterns and has a long testing duration. Our results do not confirm that any of the investigated task dimensions (high vs. low information demand; short vs. long testing duration) have a dominant effect on the occurrence of epileptiform EEG-discharges and the cognitive impact of such discharges. The effect found for the CVST suggest that three factors combined are necessary to assess the impact of epileptiform EEG-discharges on cognition: visual input mode, longer testing duration and high information processing demand.     

Multiculturalism and acculturation: views of Dutch and Turkish–Dutch

The psychological component of immigration in the Netherlands was studied by comparing views on multiculturalism and acculturation orientation of Turkish migrants between Dutch majority (N=1565) and Turkish–Dutch minority (N=185) members. Multiculturalism was measured with an adaptation of the Multicultural Ideology Scale (Berry & Kalin, 1995); acculturation orientation was investigated in different domains of life. The results revealed that Dutch on average had a neutral attitude towards multiculturalism in the Netherlands while Turkish–Dutch showed a more positive attitude. Regarding the acculturation strategies, Dutch adults preferred assimilation above integration of Turkish migrants in all life domains. Turkish–Dutch adults made a distinction in public and private domains: integration was preferred in public domains, and separation in private domains. In public domains both cultural groups agreed that Turkish migrants should adapt to the Dutch culture. In private domains there was no agreement at all in the views of Dutch and Turkish–Dutch. These results suggest that the views on acculturation and multiculturalism differ substantially for majority and minority group members. Implications are discussed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Acculturation Attitudes: A Comparison of Measurement Methods1

Three measurement methods (1, 2, or 4 statements) to assess acculturation attitudes were compared in 2 studies involving Turkish immigrants in The Netherlands. Each measurement method revealed support for differentiation between acculturation in the public and the private domains. The Turkish culture was more valued than the Dutch culture in the private domain, while both cultures were about equally favored in the public domain. A direct comparison of the 3 measurement methods found evidence for a general method factor on which all 3 measurement methods loaded, and an acculturation attitude factor with positive loadings for 2 indicators (private and public domains). The 2‐statement measurement method addressing public and private life domains was found to provide a short, though comprehensive instrument.     

How Does More Attention to Subjective Well-Being Affect Subjective Well-Being?

There is an ongoing debate as to whether pursuing happiness is beneficial for people’s subjective well-being (SWB). To address this question, we tested whether attention to SWB – measured by participation in SWB surveys – is related to experienced SWB in two longitudinal studies. The initial study was conducted from November to December 2013 (N?=?129), and the replication study, three years later from November to December 2016 (N?=?120). The studies include two groups: one group (the control group) answered three SWB surveys over 4 weeks, and the other group (the experimental group) followed the same procedure but additionally tracked their SWB in detail using the experience sampling method four times a day and the day reconstruction method once a day using a smartphone application for two weeks to heighten their attention to their SWB. Both studies show higher SWB scores at later measurements compared to the first ones.     

A mixed-methods process evaluation of a goal management intervention for patients with polyarthritis

Process evaluations of newly developed interventions are necessary to identify effective and less effective intervention components. First aim of this study was to identify key components of a psychosocial goal management intervention from the perspective of participants, and second aim was to evaluate the intervention’s fidelity. A mixed-methods approach was applied to 24 interviews with participants post-intervention and 16 audio recordings of random training sessions. Participants experienced three key components: (1) the content, in which specific exercises helped to raise awareness and (intention to) change goal management behaviour, (2) person-focused approach, specifically, the nurse as trainer and personal fit of the approach, and (3) social mechanisms, including facilitating group processes and interpersonal processes. Adherence to the protocol by the trainers was high, while differences were found in the degree to which they were able to apply the intended collaborative approach and psychological communication skills. The applied design provided valuable insights into the processes that took place. Both the effects experienced by participants in relationship to the content, approach and social mechanisms as well as the strengths and weaknesses found with regard to fidelity provide insights that can inform the development and implementation of person-focused interventions.     

Recognition of facial expressions of emotions by 3-year-olds

Very few large-scale studies have focused on emotional facial expression recognition (FER) in 3-year-olds, an age of rapid social and language development. We studied FER in 808 healthy 3-year-olds using verbal and nonverbal computerized tasks for four basic emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, and fear). Three-year-olds showed differential performance on the verbal and nonverbal FER tasks, especially with respect to fear. That is to say, fear was one of the most accurately recognized facial expressions as matched nonverbally and the least accurately recognized facial expression as labeled verbally. Sex did not influence emotion-matching nor emotion-labeling performance after adjusting for basic matching or labeling ability. Three-year-olds made systematic errors in emotion-labeling. Namely, happy expressions were often confused with fearful expressions, whereas negative expressions were often confused with other negative expressions. Together, these findings suggest that 3-year-olds' FER skills strongly depend on task specifications. Importantly, fear was the most sensitive facial expression in this regard. Finally, in line with previous studies, we found that recognized emotion categories are initially broad, including emotions of the same valence, as reflected in the nonrandom errors of 3-year-olds.     

The effect of goal setting on group performance: a meta-analysis

Updating and extending the work of O'Leary-Kelly, Martocchio, and Frink (1994), with this meta-analysis on goal setting and group performance we show that specific difficult goals yield considerably higher group performance compared with nonspecific goals (d = 0.80 ± 0.35, k = 23 effect sizes). Moderately difficult and easy goals were also associated with performance benefits relative to nonspecific goals, but these effects were smaller. The overall effect size for all group goals was d = 0.56 ± 0.19 (k = 49). Unexpectedly, task interdependence, task complexity, and participation did not moderate the effect of group goals. Our inventory of multilevel goals in interdependent groups indicated that the effect of individual goals in groups on group performance was contingent upon the focus of the goal: "Egocentric" individual goals, aimed at maximizing individual performance, yielded a particularly negative group-performance effect (d = -1.75 ± 0.60, k = 6), whereas "groupcentric" goals, aimed at maximizing the individual contribution to the group's performance, showed a positive effect (d = 1.20 ± 1.03, k = 4). These findings demonstrate that group goals have a robust effect on group performance. Individual goals can also promote group performance but should be used with caution in interdependent groups. Future research might explore the role of multilevel goals for group performance in more detail. The striking lack of recent field studies in organizational settings that emerged from our brief review of trends in group goal-setting research should be taken into account when designing future studies in this domain.