Harnessing Cognitive Dissonance to Promote Positive Attitudes Toward Older Workers in Australia

Perception versus Official Data: Employers' Knowledge about the Aging Workforce

The current study compared employers' perceptions and knowledge about older workers to official data, as well as employers' views of the ideal situation regarding older workers, to assess potential gaps. A questionnaire answered by a sample of 373 employers was used to examine possible gaps between employers' perceptions, views, and official statistical data regarding older workers. Statistical significance (T-Test) analyses suggested that gaps do exist, in issues like labor force participation rate, health status, and women's retirement age, which may explain obstacles faced by older workers. Logistic regression models revealed the effect of personal and organizational characteristics on employers' preferences regarding the ideal labor force participation rate of older workers, and the ideal retirement age according to their preference. Educational measures and policies aimed at increasing employers' awareness to the official data regarding the aging workforce should be tailored to specific organizations, sectors, and employers' characteristics.

DISMANTLING THE BOX — APPLYING PRINCIPLES FOR REDUCING PRECONCEPTIONS DURING IDEATION

Many methods to facilitate “thinking outside the box” are described in the literature. However, less consideration has been given to reducing the limiting influence of preconceptions in order to increase the potential scope of innovative thinking. In other words, less consideration has been given to “dismantling the box”. Here, research is reported that involved application of principles for reducing preconceptions. These principles are drawn from research into diverse methods from a variety of disciplines, which are used to reduce the limiting influence of preconceptions. Prior to the reported field studies, and without knowledge of the field studies being carried out in the future, participants had ideated innovation proposals focused upon using technologies to achieve improvements to their internal operating efficiency. Subsequently, in all three field studies, participants ideated innovation proposals focused upon using technologies to introduce new offerings which could create new markets. Yet, the field studies involved no methods for facilitating “thinking outside the box” — rather application of principles for reducing preconceptions.

Can We Make a Difference? Prejudice Towards Asylum Seekers in Australia and the Effectiveness of Antiprejudice Interventions

Over the past few decades, Australia has implemented increasingly restrictive measures to try and deter the arrival of asylum seekers. In our article, we review what is known in the literature about the antecedents of prejudice against asylum seekers. We outline 11 mechanisms, or variables, as being particularly important. We then draw out the practical implications as they relate to antiprejudice interventions. Within the research and implications, we discuss our own experiences of working directly with asylum seekers over the past decade and in running antiprejudice interventions. We conclude that even though the situation is bleak in Australia at the time of writing this article (at the end of 2014), we must continue with attempts to combat the demonisation of asylum seekers both on an individual level and a structural level.

Fostering students' reflection about bias in healthcare: cognitive dissonance and the role of personal and normative standards

BACKGROUND

To reduce cognitive dissonance about one's beliefs or behavior, individuals may compare their behavior to personal and/or normative standards. The details of this reflection process are unclear.

AIMS

We examined how medical students compare their behavior or beliefs to standards in discussions about implicit bias, and explored if and how different reflective pathways (preserving vs. reconciling) are associated with each standard.

METHODS

Third-year students engaged in a small-group discussion about bias. Some students and group facilitators also participated in a debriefing about the experience. Using qualitative methods, the transcripts from these 11 sessions were analyzed for evidence of student comparison to a standard and of reflection pathways.

RESULTS

Of 557 text units, 75.8% could be coded with a standard and/or a path of reflection. Students referenced personal and normative standards about equally, and preserved or reconciled existing beliefs about equally. Uses of normative standards were associated with preservation-type reflection, and uses of personal standards with reconciliation-type reflection.

CONCLUSIONS

Normative expectations of physicians are sometimes used to provoke students' consideration of implicit biases about patients. To encourage critical reflection and reconciliation of biased beliefs or behavior, educators should frame reflective activities as a personal exercise rather than as a requirement.

Effects of Non-Indigenous Australian Human Resource Managers' Gender and Attitudes and Applicants' Ethnicity and Gender on Resumé Evaluations

In this web-based survey, 60 non-Indigenous Australian human resource (HR) professionals reviewed four fictitious job resumés for an Indigenous male, Indigenous female, non-Indigenous male and non-Indigenous female. Participants rated the resumés against five key selection criteria and then ranked them in terms of suitability for a HR position, team fit (TF) with participants' current HR team, and suitability for a customer service (CS) position. Finally, participants completed a modified Attitude toward Indigenous Australians scale. Although participants' gender and attitudes and applicants' gender and ethnicity did not have an effect on resumé ratings, rank differences for the HR position and TF for the whole sample were significantly different, with the non-Indigenous male applicant being preferred to the Indigenous male and female applicants. Participants holding a negative attitude toward Indigenous people consistently ranked the non-Indigenous male applicant more favourably than the Indigenous male and female applicants and the non-Indigenous female applicant more favourably than the Indigenous male applicant. Female participants ranked the non-Indigenous male applicant more favourably than the Indigenous male and female applicants for the HR position and TF. Implications for Indigenous Australian employment disadvantage are examined with reference to social identity and contemporary racism theories.

Bystander Antiprejudice: Cross-Cultural Education, Links With Positivity Towards Cultural ‘Outgroups’ and Preparedness to Speak Out

This article describes a 12-week intervention targeting positivity towards asylum seekers, Indigenous Australians and Muslim Australians. The study also assessed change in the intention to engage in bystander activism in four different scenarios: two Indigenous (old-fashioned and modern prejudice), one Muslim and one asylum seeker. There was a significant increase in positivity towards asylum seekers, Indigenous Australians and Muslim Australians. There was also a significant increase in ‘speaking out intention’, a form of bystander anti-prejudice, in three of the scenarios, but not in response to the Indigenous old-fashioned prejudice scenario. The study indicates that structured education on cross-cultural issues can improve attitudes to perceived ‘outgroups’ and, for the most part, increase participants' intention to speak out against prejudice.

Refugee Without Refuge: Wasim, Phillip Adams, and a Nation Divided

This study follows on from previous work (Pedersen et al., 2008) that examined the situation of the stateless asylum seeker, Wasim. In the present study, a blog discussion stemming from an editorial about Wasim (Adams, 2008) was analysed. Participants were identified as ‘Do-Gooders’ and ‘Do-Badders’; categories that indicate their orientation to asylum seeker debates (labels originated from the blog itself). We identified several features of the blog discussion. While similar themes and discursive devices were used by the two groups, they were used very differently. The Do-Gooders were more likely to offer accurate information about asylum seekers or Wasim and to show humanitarian concerns for Wasim and others like him. The Do-Badders were more likely to display emotion, show the ‘Phillip Adams Effect’ (addressing the author of the editorial, Phillip Adams, in their submissions) and name-call. However, there was no significant difference with respect to whether participants addressed Wasim's situation specifically rather than focusing on the general issue of asylum seekers. The blog demonstrates, in microcosm, the divided orientation of Australians regarding asylum seekers.