Reaction of mock jurors to testimony of a court appointed expert

A study was conducted to assess the impact of court appointed experts on the judgments of mock jurors. A civil proceeding was adopted for the experiment. Mock jurors heard testimony about a plaintiff's injury in an automobile accident. In some conditions, medical testimony for the plaintiff and defendant was provided by experts hired by each side. In other conditions, a medical expert appointed by the court testified in addition to the two adversarial experts. In one of these conditions, the court expert sided with the plaintiff; in another, the expert sided with the defendant. The plaintiff in the case was always an individual. The defendant was sometimes a corporation and sometimes an individual. The results showed that mock jurors sided with the court appointed expert in every condition except when the expert favored a corporate defendant. The results were discussed in terms of heuristic processing of persuasive information.

Perceptions of danger, risk taking, and outcomes in a remote community

On the surface, the severity of the Antarctic environment is sufficient to account for the injury rates that might occur there. However, it is argued that injury occurrence is the outcome of multiple factors. A number of such factors, both in the nature of work in the Antarctic and in the characteristics of the human beings who work there are reviewed. An area that has received little attention is individual risk perceptions. It is contended that risk perceptions need to be taken into account when assessing the contributing factors to individual risk taking, as measured by accidents that occur. The literature on risk perceptions is reviewed as a precursor to an empirical study of risk perceptions and injuries at an Antarctic station. The referent for expeditioner practice and home comparisons is Australia.

COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE REACTIONS WHEN FACING AN ADDITIONAL DELAY WHILE WAITING IN LINE: A MATTER OF SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS DISPOSITION

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of self-consciousness disposition on the cognitive and affective reactions of consumers when facing a delay. The study used written scenarios to investigate subjects' reactions while waiting with strangers in line at the movie theater. Results indicated that when compared with low public subjects, high public subjects had more self-related thoughts, reported more negative evaluation of the waiting experience and attributed controllability for the cause of waiting to the service provider. High public subjects had significantly different cognitive and affective reactions from those of low public subjects when the cause of waiting was related to an intrusion occurring immediately in front of them, rather than when it was related to an inappropriate behavior of the service provider.

Why most workers with occupational repetitive trauma do not file for workers' compensation

Despite the availability of no fault insurance for wage replacement and medical care costs, the majority of workers diagnosed with an occupational disease do not apply for workers' compensation. The objective of the study was to determine the reasons why workers diagnosed with work-related musculoskeletal disease did not apply for workers' compensation benefits. A cross-sectional study of 1598 individuals diagnosed with neck, upper extremity, and low back work-related musculoskeletal disease from April to June 1996 was performed. All individuals were interviewed over the telephone using a standardized questionnaire. The questionnaire included questions about the precipitating event; demographics; health limitations; mood; pain level; and attitudes toward their health care provider, fellow workers, management, work environment, and filing for workers' compensation. Whenever possible, standardized questions from previous surveys were used. The interviewed individuals with work-related musculoskeletal disease were reported by health care practitioners as required by the state of Michigan's occupational disease reporting law. Workers reported during 12 weeks in the spring of 1996 by a Michigan health care professional as having a neck, back, or upper extremity musculoskeletal disorder were eligible to participate. Among the 2703 reports received, 490 individuals could not be reached, 22 did not speak English, 12 had died or were too incapacitated by other medical conditions, and 581 refused. We interviewed 59% of all eligible workers and 73% of all workers who were reachable and capable of responding in English. Only 25% of workers diagnosed with musculoskeletal disease filed a workers' compensation claim. The factors significantly associated with filing a claim were (1) increased length of employment (> 21 years: odds ratio [OR], 3.01, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31 to 6.90); 11 to 20 years: OR, 2.34, 95% CI, 1.01 to 5.47; 6 to 10 years: OR, 1.76, 95% CI, 0.73 to 4.25; 1 to 5 years: OR, 2.36, 95% CI, 1.03 to 5.42; < 1 year: OR, 1.00; (2) lower annual income (< $40,000: OR, 1.75, 95% CI, 1.06 to 2.88 vs > or = $80,000: OR, 1.00); (3) workers' dissatisfaction with coworkers (OR, 1.76, 95% CI, 1.01 to 3.06); (4) physician restrictions on activity (OR, 2.16, 95% CI, 1.55 to 3.00); (5) type of physician providing treatment (specialist, including surgeon or orthopedist: OR, 3.63, 95% CI, 2.37 to 5.55); physical and occupational therapist: OR, 2.15, 95% CI, 1.35 to 3.43); family practitioner: OR, 1.33, 95% CI = 0.89 to 2.01; company physician: OR = 1.00); (6) off work > or = 7 days (OR, 14.85, 95% CI, 10.57 to 20.85); (7) decreased current health status (OR, 0.82, 95% CI, 0.70 to 0.96); and (8) increased severity of illness (OR, 1.24, 95% CI, 1.06 to 20.88). This study showed that only 25% of workers with a work-related musculoskeletal condition filed for workers' compensation and refutes the common perception that an individual with a work-related problem is likely to file a workers' compensation claim. The strongest predictors of who would file were those factors associated with the severity of the condition. Other factors were increasing length of employment, lower annual income, and worker dissatisfaction with coworkers. Our study population consisted mainly of unionized autoworkers, and our findings may not be generalizable to the total workforce.

Toward a psychology of positive youth development

This article analyzes the development of initiative as an exemplar of one of many learning experiences that should be studied as part of positive youth development. The capacity for initiative is essential for adults in our society and will become more important in the 21st century, yet adolescents have few opportunities to learn it. Their typical experiences during schoolwork and unstructured leisure do not reflect conditions for learning initiative. The context best suited to the development of initiative appears to be that of structured voluntary activities, such as sports, arts, and participation in organizations, in which youths experience the rare combination of intrinsic motivation in combination with deep attention. An incomplete body of outcome research suggests that such activities are associated with positive development, but the developmental processes involved are only beginning to be understood. One promising approach has recorded language use and has found that adolescents participating in effective organizations acquire a new operating language that appears to correspond to the development of initiative.

An application of the matching law to evaluate the allocation of two- and three-point shots by college basketball players

We applied the matching equation to evaluate the allocation of two- and three-point shots by male and female college basketball players from a large Division 1 university. The matching law predicts that the proportion of shots taken from three-point range should match the proportional reinforcement rate produced by such shots. Thus, we compared the proportion of three-point shots taken relative to all shots to the proportion of three-point shots scored relative to all shots scored. However, the matching equation was adjusted to account for the greater reinforcer magnitude of the three-point basket (i.e., 1.5 times greater than the two-point basket reinforcer magnitude). For players with substantial playing time, results showed that the overall distribution of two- and three-point shots was predicted by the matching equation. Game-by-game shot distribution was variable, but the cumulative proportion of shots taken from three-point range as the season progressed was predicted almost perfectly on a player-by-player basis for both male and female basketball players.

Characteristics of volunteers and families in a neonatal home visitation project: the Kempe Community Caring Program

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this paper is to review literature related to home visitation support for new families using volunteer visitors and to describe characteristics of volunteers of the Kempe Community Caring Program, a home visitor support program for first time parents. Suggestions for effectively utilizing volunteers in family support programs are made.

METHOD

Program data was collected and reviewed on 592 volunteer home visitors and the 1,144 families they served. Several evaluations and assessments were performed in order to attempt to measure the success of the intervention. Motivation for volunteering, longevity with program, and the extent of sociodemographic match between visitor and client were reviewed and discussed.

RESULTS

Information on matched volunteer-client pairs was limited; however, speculations were made that neither motivation to participate nor sociodemographic match were critical factors in determining success of the intervention. Duration of volunteer participation was influenced by marital status, but not by age. Married volunteers stayed with the program significantly longer than unmarried volunteers. Low risk families demonstrated slightly improved confidence in parental function after receiving home visitation by a volunteer.

CONCLUSION

This program suggests that new mothers may benefit from receiving the services of a volunteer home visitor; specifically, their confidence as parents and ability to establish positive relationships show slight improvement. Likewise, volunteers and families felt satisfied with the supportive relationships generated. In addition, a volunteer profile emerged which may be beneficial to similar programs' recruiting efforts.

Just Doing Business: Modern Racism and Obedience to Authority as Explanations for Employment Discrimination

In two experiments, we investigated the effects of prejudice (in the form of modern racism) and business justifications by authority figures (i.e., organizational superiors) to discriminate against minorities (Blacks in our research) in hiring situations. As expected, business justifications by legitimate authority figures led to participants' obedience in the form of discrimination relative to a no-justification condition and, in the second experiment, also relative to a condition in which the business justification came from an illegitimate authority figure. Moreover, in both experiments, as expected, modern racism did not have a main effect on discrimination, but interacted with business justifications such that modern racism predicted discrimination when a legitimate authority figure provided a business-related justification for such discrimination but not in the absence of such a justification. These results are discussed in terms of their theoretical implications for understanding prejudice and obedience to authority in organizations and in terms of their practical implications for addressing the problem of discrimination in the workplace. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

HEBREW REVISED EYSENCK PERSONALITY QUESTIONNAIRE: SHORT FORM (EPQR-S) AND ABBREVIATED FORM (EPQR-A)

A sample of 415 female Hebrew-speaking Israeli undergraduate students completed a Hebrew translation of the items of the EPQR-A and EPQR-S. The findings support the comparability of the two instruments and the reliability of the extraversion, neuroticism and lie scales. The psychoticism scales, however, were found to be less satisfactory.

TO HELP OR NOT TO HELP: CAPTURING INDIVIDUALS' DECISION POLICIES

The arousal: cost-reward model of bystander intervention developed by Piliavin, Dovidio, Gaertner and Clark in 1981 was tested using a within-subjects “policy capturing” methodology. Four hundred and forty nine participants read 50 scenarios and reported the likelihood they would offer help. Seventy-six percent of the participants' helping judgments could be reliably described or “captured” with a linear combination of the various costs of helping and costs of not helping specified in the model. In addition, participants were relatively aware of how the costs affected their helping decisions; although female participants may have been more aware than males. These findings provide additional support for the arousal: cost-reward model and extend understanding of the cognitive algebra that occurs before individuals decide to intervene.

Health effects of work schedules in healthcare professions

Increasing variety in working patterns and the appearance of new forms of shift schedules in the different occupational sectors, including health services, have raised great concern about the quality of working life and job performance. The aim of this paper is to present a systematic review of the literature on the effects on health of irregular schedules in healthcare professionals. Computer and manual searches of databases, and discussion with experts, were used to identify relevant studies. No conclusive evidence was found to favour any particular work system, although there is evidence that extended workdays (9-12 h) should be avoided as much as possible. There is need for carefully designed studies in order to evaluate the long-term consequences of work schedules in healthcare workers.

Impact of a participatory organizational intervention on job characteristics and job stress

Increased employee control and participation are recommended to achieve both "flexible organization" and improvements in health, as outlined in occupational stress intervention models. This study evaluates the impact of a participatory organizational intervention on job stress and job characteristics. The intervention was carried out in two post offices in the Norwegian Postal Service. "Local theories" were seen as the key drivers for organizational improvement and increased control. The underlying dynamics of the intervention were to manipulate employees' learning opportunity and decision authority so as to improve work environment and health. Work groups, in dialogue with a steering committee, conducted diagnosis, action planning, and action taking. Work conditions deteriorated during the observation period in the control groups. In one of the intervention groups, this negative trend was reduced by the intervention. Lack of positive results in the other intervention group may have been due to organizational restructuring and turbulence.

The brush inquiry: An opportunity to investigate health outcomes in a well-characterized cohort

The Brush Inquiry was conducted in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1926-1942 to longitudinally document the growth and development of healthy children and adults. The Brush population was a heterogenous group with a broad representation of racial and socioeconomic groups. Data collection included radiographs of several parts of the body; motor, mental, and psychological tests; health, nutrition, and prenatal history; body measurements and family history. The early results of the inquiry were used to establish standards for normal childhood growth and development. Today, many of these subjects (88%) are in the age range of 60-80, facilitating the continuity of the inquiry to study early indicators for later health outcomes. This article reviews the origins of the inquiry, characteristics of the population, and the prospects for future research using this cohort. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 12:1-9, 2000. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

States of excellence

Research from the individual-differences tradition pertinent to the optimal development of exceptional talent is reviewed, using the theory of work adjustment (TWA) to organize fundings. The authors show how TWA concepts and psychometric methods, when used together, can facilitate positive development among talented youth by aligning learning opportunities with salient aspects of each student's individuality. Longitudinal research and more general theoretical models of (adult) academic and intellectual development support this approach. This analysis also uncovers common threads running through several positive psychological concepts (e.g., effectance motivation, flow, and peak experiences). The authors conclude by underscoring some important ideals from counseling psychology for fostering intellectual development and psychological well-being. These include conducting a multifaceted assessment, focusing on strength, helping people make choices, and providing a developmental context for bridging educational and industrial psychology to facilitate positive psychological growth throughout the life span.

Predictors of organizational commitment among certified occupational therapy assistants

The purpose of this correlational research study was to provide insights into specific extrinsic organizational rewards, extrinsic social rewards, and intrinsic rewards that lead to certified occupational therapy assistants' (COTA) organizational commitment, and how managers and recruiters can utilize this knowledge in developing more effective COTA recruitment and retention strategies. The target population for this investigation included COTAs who worked full-time in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia and were members of the American Occupational Therapy Association. Findings from this study indicated that predictors of COTAs' organizational commitment were determined by intrinsically rewarding job tasks that were supported by their work environment, salary, and promotional opportunities.

Schichtarbeit im Vergleich: Befindensunterschiede und Aufmerksamkeitsvariation während der 8-Stunden- versus 12-Stunden-Schichtarbeit

Zusammenfassung. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden subjektive Erfahrungen und objektive Reaktionsparameter von 8-Stunden- und 12-Stunden-Schichtarbeitern erfaßt. Die Annahme ist, daß die Schichtdauer einen wesentlichen Einfluß auf die psychische und physische Gesundheit und auf das Leistungsvermögen von Schichtarbeitern hat. Insgesamt 28 Schichtarbeiter im 8-Stunden- beziehungsweise 12-Stunden-Schichtdienst führten täglich über die Zeit eines Monats Tagebuch über ihr Befinden, die subjektive Kontrolle über die Situation, Müdigkeit, Handlungsfreiheit und subjektiv erlebte Fehleranfälligkeit. Weiterhin wurden Reaktionsfähigkeiten aller Teilnehmer mittels objektiver Reaktionstests erfaßt. Die Ergebnisse bestätigen, daß die Schichtdauer von großer Bedeutung für das psychische Erleben einer Person ist und zudem die Reaktionsfähigkeit beeinflußt. 12-Stunden-Schichtarbeiter zeigten in allen Parametern zumindest tendenziell bessere Werte als 8-Stunden-Schichtarbeiter. Vor allem die Müdigkeit erwies sich als bedeutsamer Faktor, der in Abhängigkeit von der Schichtdauer variiert.