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Nakaima A, Sridharan S, Gibson R. Towards an evolutionary approach to learning from assumptions: Lessons from the evaluation of Dancing with Parkinson's. EVALUATION AND PROGRAM PLANNING 2023; 97:102259. [PMID: 36868007 DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2023.102259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
This paper highlights how learnings from exploring assumptions can be strengthened by taking an evolutionary approach to theory building and analysis. We discuss theory-driven evaluation applied to a community-based intervention implemented by Dancing With Parkinson's in Toronto, Canada, targeting Parkinson's disease (PD), a neurodegenerative condition affecting movement. A major gap in the literature is understanding the mechanisms by which dance might make a difference in the daily lives of people living with PD. This study was an early exploratory evaluation to better understand mechanisms and short-term outcomes. Conventional thinking generally favors "permanent" over "transitory" changes, and "long-term" over "short-term" effects. Yet, for people living with degenerative conditions (and also people experiencing chronic pain and other chronic symptoms), transitory and short-term changes may be highly valued and welcomed relief. In order to study and link multiple longitudinal events to explore key linkages in the theory of change, we piloted the use of diaries, with brief entries filled out daily by participants. The aim was to better understand the short-term experiences of participants using their daily routines as a means of learning about potential mechanisms, what matters to participants, and to see if small effects could be observed on days when participants danced versus days when they did not dance and also longitudinally over several months. Our initial theoretical stance began with a view of dance as exercise and the well-established benefits of exercise; yet, we explored through the diary data collected, as well as client interviews and literature review, potential other mechanisms of dancing (such as group interaction, touch, stimulation by the music, and esthetics including "feeling lovely"). This paper does not develop a full, comprehensive theory of dance but moves towards a more comprehensive view that locates dance within the routine activities of participants' daily lives. We argue that given the challenges of evaluating complex interventions comprising multiple, interacting components, there is a need for an evolutionary learning process to understand heterogeneities in mechanisms -- what works for whom -- when faced with knowledge incompleteness in the theory of change.
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Affiliation(s)
- April Nakaima
- The Evaluation Centre for Complex Health Interventions, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College St Room 500, Toronto ON M5T 3M7, Canada.
| | - Sanjeev Sridharan
- Social Science Research Institute, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, United States
| | - Rachael Gibson
- The Evaluation Centre for Complex Health Interventions, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College St Room 500, Toronto ON M5T 3M7, Canada
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Interval-valued functional clustering based on the Wasserstein distance with application to stock data. Inf Sci (N Y) 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ins.2022.05.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Does it work? Using a Meta-Impact score to examine global effects in quasi-experimental intervention studies. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0265312. [PMID: 35298519 PMCID: PMC8929616 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The evaluation of applied psychological interventions in the workplace or elsewhere is challenging. Randomisation and matching are difficult to achieve and this often results in substantial heterogeneity within intervention and control groups. As a result, traditional comparison of group means using null hypothesis significance testing may mask effects experienced by some participants. Using longitudinal studies of coaching interventions designed to provide support for dyslexic employees, this study describes and evaluates a different approach using a Meta-Impact score. We offer a conceptual rationale for our method, illustrate how this score is calculated and analysed, and show how it highlights person-specific variations in how participants react and respond to interventions. We argue that Meta-Impact is an incremental supplement to traditional variable-centric group-wise comparisons and can more accurately demonstrate in practice the extent to which an intervention worked. Such methods are needed for applied research, where personalized intervention protocols may require impact analysis for policy, legal and ethical purposes, despite modest sample sizes.
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Publishing quantitative careers research: challenges and recommendations. CAREER DEVELOPMENT INTERNATIONAL 2021. [DOI: 10.1108/cdi-08-2021-0217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Purpose This article aims to provide prospective authors guidelines that will hopefully enable them to submit more competitive manuscripts to journals publishing careers research.Design/methodology/approach Based on their experience as an author, reviewer and editorial team member, the authors identify the main criteria that a quantitative study must meet to be considered for publication in international peer-reviewed journals covering career-related topics. They emphasize the importance of contributing to the careers literature and of designing the study in accordance with the research question.Findings Manuscripts are rejected because they are insufficiently innovative, and/or because sample, instruments and design are not appropriate to answer the research question at hand. Cross-sectional designs cannot be used to answer questions of mediation but should not be discarded automatically since they can be used to address other types of questions, including questions about nesting, clustering of individuals into subgroups, and to some extent, even causality.Originality/value The manuscript provides an insight into the decision-making process of reviewers and editorial board members and includes recommendations on the use of cross-sectional data.
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Heino MTJ, Knittle K, Noone C, Hasselman F, Hankonen N. Studying Behaviour Change Mechanisms under Complexity. Behav Sci (Basel) 2021; 11:77. [PMID: 34068961 PMCID: PMC8156531 DOI: 10.3390/bs11050077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms underlying the effects of behaviour change interventions is vital for accumulating valid scientific evidence, and useful to informing practice and policy-making across multiple domains. Traditional approaches to such evaluations have applied study designs and statistical models, which implicitly assume that change is linear, constant and caused by independent influences on behaviour (such as behaviour change techniques). This article illustrates limitations of these standard tools, and considers the benefits of adopting a complex adaptive systems approach to behaviour change research. It (1) outlines the complexity of behaviours and behaviour change interventions; (2) introduces readers to some key features of complex systems and how these relate to human behaviour change; and (3) provides suggestions for how researchers can better account for implications of complexity in analysing change mechanisms. We focus on three common features of complex systems (i.e., interconnectedness, non-ergodicity and non-linearity), and introduce Recurrence Analysis, a method for non-linear time series analysis which is able to quantify complex dynamics. The supplemental website provides exemplifying code and data for practical analysis applications. The complex adaptive systems approach can complement traditional investigations by opening up novel avenues for understanding and theorising about the dynamics of behaviour change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matti T. J. Heino
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 54, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; (M.T.J.H.); (K.K.)
| | - Keegan Knittle
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 54, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; (M.T.J.H.); (K.K.)
| | - Chris Noone
- School of Psychology, National University of Ireland, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland;
| | - Fred Hasselman
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Postbus 9104, 500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands;
| | - Nelli Hankonen
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 54, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; (M.T.J.H.); (K.K.)
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Achnak S, Schippers A, Vantilborgh T. To deny, to justify, or to apologize: Do social accounts influence stress levels in the aftermath of psychological contract breach? BMC Psychol 2021; 9:5. [PMID: 33407889 PMCID: PMC7789714 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-020-00505-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Workplace stress carries considerable costs for the employees’ wellbeing and for the organization’s performance. Recent studies demonstrate that perceptions of psychological contract breach are a source of stress for employees. That is, when employees notice that their employer does not fulfil certain obligations, they will perceive that certain resources are threatened or lost, which in turn translates into increased stress. In this study, we zoom in on how stress unfolds in the aftermath of breach, dependent on the organization’s reaction to the breach. More specifically, we examined the influence of different types of social accounts (i.e., denial, apology, blaming and exonerating justification) on individuals’ stress resolution process using physiological (i.e., heart rate) and psychological (self-report) data. Method We used an experimental design in which we manipulated psychological contract breach and social account type. To test our hypotheses, we performed two sets of functional Principal Component Analyses: first to examine the effects of breach and second to examine the effects of social accounts. Results Our results indicate that breach elicits a physiological stress reaction, reflected in a short-lived increase in heart rate. However, no increase in the self-reported stress measure was found. Further, we did not find a significant effect of social accounts on the psychological and physiological recovery process. Conclusions The current research allows us to demonstrate that psychological contract breach will trigger a short-lived increase in heart rate. Further research is needed to better understand unfolding trajectories of physiological reactions to contract breach and the effect of social accounts as organizational recovery efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Safâa Achnak
- Work and Organizational Psychology (WOPs), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Arjen Schippers
- Experimental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Tim Vantilborgh
- Work and Organizational Psychology (WOPs), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
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Hofmans J, Wille B, Schreurs B. Person-centered methods in vocational research. JOURNAL OF VOCATIONAL BEHAVIOR 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Yang Y, Griep Y, Vantilborgh T. Exploring temporal changes in obligated and delivered inducements: a dynamic systems perspective. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF WORK AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/1359432x.2020.1725621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Y. Yang
- Work and Organizational Psychology Research Unit, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Y. Griep
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Division of Epidemiology, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Administrativas, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - T. Vantilborgh
- Work and Organizational Psychology Research Unit, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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Meinecke AL, Handke L, Mueller-Frommeyer LC, Kauffeld S. Capturing non-linear temporally embedded processes in organizations using recurrence quantification analysis. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF WORK AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/1359432x.2019.1658624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Annika L. Meinecke
- Department of Industrial/Organizational Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lisa Handke
- Department of Industrial/Organizational and Social Psychology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Lena C. Mueller-Frommeyer
- Department of Industrial/Organizational and Social Psychology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Simone Kauffeld
- Department of Industrial/Organizational and Social Psychology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
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Morin AJS, Bujacz A, Gagné M. Person-Centered Methodologies in the Organizational Sciences. ORGANIZATIONAL RESEARCH METHODS 2018. [DOI: 10.1177/1094428118773856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The 2011 Organizational Research Methods Feature Topic on latent class procedures has helped to establish person-centered analyses as a method of choice in the organizational sciences. This establishment has contributed to the generation of substantive-methodological synergies leading to a better understanding of a variety of organizational phenomena and to an improvement in research methodologies. The present Feature Topic aims to provide a user-friendly introduction to these new methodological developments for applied organizational researchers. Organized around a presentation of the typological, prototypical, and methodologically exploratory nature of person-centered analyses, this introductory article introduces seven contributions aiming to: (a) clarify the meaning, advantages, and applications of person-centered analyses; (b) illustrate emerging prototypical and longitudinal cluster analytic approaches; (c) introduce researchers to multilevel person-centered analyses as well as to auxiliary approaches that will drastically increase the scope of application of these methods; and (d) describe the application of these methods for confirmatory purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre J. S. Morin
- Substantive-Methodological Synergy Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Canada
| | | | - Marylène Gagné
- Management and Organisations Discipline, Business School, University of Western Australia, Australia
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