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Poor Performers (poor + performer)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Psychology	33%
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	33%

Selected Abstracts

Social Comparison-Based Thoughts in Groups: Their Associations With Interpersonal Trust and Learning Outcomes

JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2007
Eric Molleman
This study relates thoughts derived from 4 types of social comparison to trust and individual learning. Our study (N = 362 students) showed that upward identification (i.e., believing one is just as good as a better performing teammate) was positively related to trust and individual learning. Upward contrast (i.e., believing one is worse than a better performing group member) was negatively related to learning, as were downward-identifying thoughts (i.e., believing one will perform as badly as a poorly performing teammate). Downward contrast (i.e., thinking one can do much better than the poor performer) was negatively related to trust. We concluded that social comparison-based thoughts are important to consider when designing teamwork because of their constructive and destructive consequences. [source]

Behavioral relevance of gamma-band activity for short-term memory-based auditory decision-making

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 12 2008
Jochen Kaiser
Abstract Oscillatory activity in the gamma-band range has been established as a correlate of cognitive processes, including perception, attention and memory. Only a few studies, however, have provided evidence for an association between gamma-band activity (GBA) and measures of behavioral performance. Here we focused on the comparison between sample and test stimuli S1 and S2 during an auditory spatial short-term memory task. Applying statistical probability mapping to magnetoencephalographic recordings from 28 human subjects, we identified GBA components distinguishing nonidentical from identical S1,S2 pairs. This activity was found at frequencies between 65 and 90 Hz and was localized over posterior cortical regions contralateral to the hemifield in which the stimuli were presented. The 10 best task performers showed higher amplitudes of this GBA component than the 10 worst performers. This group difference was most pronounced between about 150 and 300 ms after stimulus onset. Apparently the decision about whether test stimuli matched the stored representation of previously presented sample sounds relied partly on the oscillatory activation of networks representing differences between both stimuli. This result could be replicated by reanalyzing the combined data from two previous studies assessing short-term memory for sound duration and sound lateralization, respectively. Similarly to our main study, GBA amplitudes to nonmatching vs. matching S1,S2 pairs were higher in good performers than poor performers. The present findings demonstrate the behavioral relevance of GBA. [source]

Role of corporate governance in mitigating the selective disclosure of executive stock option information

ACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 3 2010
Jodie Nelson
M40; M41 Abstract We examine the nature and extent of statutory executive stock option disclosures by Australian listed companies over the 2001,2004 period, and the influence of corporate governance mechanisms on these disclosures. Our results show a progressive increase in overall compliance from 2001 to 2004. However, despite the improved compliance, the results reveal managements' continued reluctance to disclose more sensitive executive stock option information. Factors associated with good internal governance, including board independence, audit committee independence and effectiveness, and compensation committee independence and effectiveness are found to contribute to improved compliance. Similarly, certain external governance factors are associated with improved disclosure, including external auditor quality, shareholder activism (as proxied by companies identified as poor performers by the Australian Shareholders' Association) and regulatory intervention. [source]

Relationships Between Attitudes Toward Organizations and Performance Appraisal Systems and Rating Behavior

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SELECTION AND ASSESSMENT, Issue 3 2001
Aharon Tziner
Data collected in seven separate samples in three countries (the USA, Canada and Israel) were used to examine the relationships between perceptions of one's organization (climate, commitment), beliefs about appraisal systems (self-efficacy, uses of appraisal) and raters' orientations to appraisal systems (confidence and comfort) and specific rating behaviors. We obtained good fits for structural models suggesting that attitudes and beliefs accounted for substantial variance in raters' likelihood of giving high or low ratings, willingness to discriminate good from poor performers, and willingness to discriminate among various aspects of job performance when completing actual performance ratings. Proximal attitudes and beliefs (i.e., those directly related to the performance appraisal system) appear to have stronger links to rating behavior than do more distal attitudes (i.e., attitudes toward the organization in general). [source]

Thermal analysis of polymer,water interactions and their relation to gas hydrate inhibition

JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 4 2007
Manika Varma-Nair
Abstract Gas hydrates formed in oil production pipelines are crystalline solids where hydrocarbon gas molecules such as methane, propane, and their mixtures are trapped in a cagelike structure by hydrogen-bonded water molecules to form undesirable plugs. Methanol and glycol are currently used to prevent these plugs via thermodynamic inhibition. Small amounts of water-soluble polymers may provide an alternate approach for preventing gas hydrates. In this study, we expand the fundamental understanding of water,polymer systems with differential scanning calorimetry. Nonfreezable bound water was used to quantify polymer,water interactions and relate them to the chemical structure for a series of polymers, including acrylamides, cyclic lactams, and n -vinyl amides. For good interactions, the water structure needs to be stabilized through hydrophobic interactions. An increased hydrophobicity of the pendant group also appears to favor polymer performance as a gas hydrate inhibitor. Good inhibitors, such as poly(diethyl acrylamide) and poly(N -vinyl caprolactam), also show higher heat capacities, which indicate higher hydrophobicity, than poor performers such as polyzwitterions, in which hydrophilicity dominated. The phase behavior and thermodynamic properties of dilute polymer solutions were also evaluated through measurements of the heat of demixing and lower critical solution temperature. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2642,2653, 2007 [source]

SELF- VERSUS OTHERS' RATINGS AS PREDICTORS OF ASSESSMENT CENTER RATINGS: VALIDATION EVIDENCE FOR 360-DEGREE FEEDBACK PROGRAMS

PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2002
Paul W. B. Atkins
Although 360-degree feedback programs are rapidly increasing in popularity, few studies have examined how well ratings from these programs predict an independent criterion. This study had 2 main aims: First, to examine the validity of ratings from a 360-degree feedback program using assessment center ratings as an independent criterion and to determine which source (i.e., self, supervisor, peers, or subordinates) provided the most valid predictor of the criterion measure of competency. Second, to better understand the relationship between self-observer discrepancies and an independent criterion. The average of supervisor, peer, and subordinate ratings predicted performance on the assessment center, as did the supervisor ratings alone. The self-ratings were negatively and nonlinearly related to performance with some of those who gave themselves the highest ratings having the lowest performance on the assessment center. Supervisor ratings successfully discriminated between overestimators but were not as successful at discriminating underestimators, suggesting that more modest feedback recipients might be underrated by their supervisors. Peers overestimated performance for poor performers. Explanations of the results and the implications for the use of self-ratings in evaluations, the design of feedback reports, and the use of 360-degree feedback programs for involving and empowering staff are discussed. [source]