Cognitive Differences Between Experts and Novices: Implications for Group Supervision

The literature on counselor training and supervision has grown considerably in the past decade. Little of this literature has discussed group supervision. This article outlines the implications of cognitive psychology for group supervision and discusses the unique dimensions of the group modality for the supervision process and cognitive skill acquisition.     

IDENTIFYING DETERMINANTS OF RETENTION DECISIONS1

Variables from five domains—demography, social background, service history, satisfaction, and performance—were used in a discriminant analysis approach to distinguishing three groups of naval personnel: Those eligible to reenlist who do, those eligible who do not, and those not eligible. Discriminant weights were derived from a sample of 642 first-term enlisted men and cross-validated on a sample of 628. The results indicated that both pre-service characteristics (demography and social background) and in-service experiences (service history, satisfaction, and performance) contributed importantly to prediction of attrition/retention. Potential usefulness of this method, including implications for better understanding and control of manpower turnover were discussed.     

Lay definitions of family and social capital in later life

This study explores the lay definitions of family in old age and their consequences for social capital in using an egocentric network approach. Data were derived from a subsample of 578 elders (aged 65 and older) from the Vivre/Leben/Vivere (VLV) study, a large survey addressing family life and health conditions of older people in Switzerland. A hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to create a typology of family networks based on family members who were cited as significant. We identified six family networks: Conjugal, Son, Daughter, Sibling, Kinship, and Sparse. These feature bonding and bridging social capital unequally. Therefore, one should take into account the lay definitions of family to better understand social capital within families in later life.     

Was Jekyll Hyde?

Many philosophers say that two or more people or thinking beings could share a single human being in a split-personality case, if only the personalities were sufficiently independent and individually well integrated. I argue that this view is incompatible with our being material things, and conclude that there could never be two or more people in a split-personality case. This refutes the view, almost universally held, that facts about mental unity and disunity determine how many people there are. I suggest that the number of human people is simply the number of appropriately endowed human animals.     

THE ROLE OF COGNITIVE ABILITY IN THE SUBGROUP DIFFERENCES AND INCREMENTAL VALIDITY OF ASSESSMENT CENTER EXERCISES

This study investigates the degree to which subgroup (Black-White) mean differences on various assessment center exercises (e.g., in-basket, role play) may be a function of the type of exercise employed; and furthermore, begins to explore why these different types of exercises result in subgroup differences. The sample consisted of 633 participants who completed a managerial assessment center that evaluated them on 14 ability dimensions across 7 different types of assessment exercises. In addition, each participant completed a cognitive ability measure. The results suggest that subgroup differences varied by type of assessment exercise; and furthermore that the subgroup difference appeared to be a function of the cognitive component of the exercise. Lastly, preliminary support is found that the validity of some of the assessment center exercises in predicting supervisor ratings of job performance is based, in part, on their cognitive component; however, evidence of incremental validity does exist.