Psychology Research (psychology + research)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Using the Rorschach for exploring the concept of transitional space within the political context of the Middle East

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOANALYTIC STUDIES, Issue 1 2005
Shira Tibon
Abstract The paper presents an application of a new Rorschach index, the Reality,Fantasy Scale (RFS) for evaluating the extent to which educated Israeli Jews and Arabs manifest a similar adaptive and functional ability in preserving psychic transitional space. The RFS is a psychodynamic oriented diagnostic tool, based on Exner's (1993) Comprehensive System for scoring and interpreting the Rorschach, and designed to operationalize Winnicott's (1971) concept of potential space. The scale is based on a paradigm that conceptualizes the Rorschach task as inviting the subject to enter the intermediate transitional space between inner and outer reality. The RFS ranges from ,5 to +5, and a score of zero indicates adaptive and functional use of potential space. The results point to a basic similarity between two groups of Jewish (n = 41) and Arab (n = 14) non-patients both using adaptively inner space between reality and fantasy. These results are discussed in terms of current psychoanalytic thought of relationality, political psychology research, cross-cultural personality assessment, and the empirical study of psychoanalytic concepts. Copyright © 2005 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source]


A self-motives perspective on feedback-seeking behavior: Linking organizational behavior and social psychology research

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT REVIEWS, Issue 3 2007
Frederik Anseel
Both the feedback-seeking literature in management and the self-motives domain in social psychology have focused on how motives affect the way in which people acquire information for self-evaluation purposes. Despite apparent conceptual similarities, the implications of research in these domains have not been fully integrated. This paper aims to link research on feedback-seeking behavior to recent theoretical developments in social psychology. First, the current perspective in management on feedback-seeking motives is depicted. Second, a well-established framework of self-motives in social psychology is introduced. Third, similarities and differences between these two motivational perspectives are discussed and a first step towards integration is proposed. Fourth, it is demonstrated how a self-motives perspective might guide future research on six key issues. Self-motives might be useful in identifying new antecedents of feedback-seeking behavior, resolving inconsistencies in the feedback-seeking literature, understanding the interplay among feedback-seeking motives, integrating feedback-seeking and feedback reactions research, examining attitudinal outcomes of feedback-seeking motives, and enhancing the feedback,performance relationship. [source]


Accounting Standards, Implementation Guidance, and Example-Based Reasoning

JOURNAL OF ACCOUNTING RESEARCH, Issue 4 2007
SHANA CLOR-PROELL
ABSTRACT This paper examines interpretation of accounting standards that provide implementation guidance via affirmative or counter examples. Based on prior psychology research, we predict that practitioners engage in "example-based reasoning" such that they are more likely to conclude that their case qualifies for the same treatment as the example. We test our predictions in two experiments in which participants judge the appropriateness of income-statement recognition. Experiment 1 uses Masters of Business Administration (MBA) students and varies example type (affirmative, counter) and case (revenue recognition, expense recognition) in a 2 × 2 design. Experiment 1 supports our predictions. Experiment 2 uses more experienced practitioners, and varies example type (affirmative, counter, both) in a 1 × 3 design. Experiment 2 supports the use of example-based reasoning, and indicates that practitioners in the "both" condition respond as if they had only received an affirmative example. These results have implications for understanding how guidance that accompanies accounting standards can result in aggressive or conservative application of standards. [source]


Heavy Metal, identity and the social negotiation of a community of practice

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2007
Dave Snell
Abstract Psychologists have raised concerns about Heavy Metal music and possible links with substance misuse and youth suicide. This paper moves beyond this traditional disciplinary focus on negative messages to document the media-related practices through which a Heavy Metal community is negotiated. Six participants contributed to ethnographic observations, interviews and photo-voice projects. Results illustrate how socio-material practices such as dressing a certain way, frequenting a bar and dancing are central to community maintenance and the reaffirmation of shared identities. Findings highlight the need for community psychology research to document the material and symbolic nature of contemporary communal life. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Ranking institutional settings based on publications in community psychology journals

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 8 2007
Leonard A. Jason
Two primary outlets for community psychology research, the American Journal of Community Psychology and the Journal of Community Psychology, were assessed to rank institutions based on publication frequency and scientific influence of publications over a 32-year period. Three specific periods were assessed (1973,1983, 1984,1994, 1995,2004). Findings indicate that there were a large group of institutions that published articles during these periods. Those academic institutions that had the most published articles as well as the largest influence, based on citations by other authors, were identified. Using archival data from the community psychology literature represents one approach for identifying those settings that made substantial contributions to the development and growth of the field. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 35: 967,979, 2007. [source]


Diagnostic reasoning strategies and diagnostic success

MEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 8 2003
S Coderre
Purpose Cognitive psychology research supports the notion that experts use mental frameworks or ,schemes', both to organize knowledge in memory and to solve clinical problems. The central purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between problem-solving strategies and the likelihood of diagnostic success. Methods Think-aloud protocols were collected to determine the diagnostic reasoning used by experts and non-experts when attempting to diagnose clinical presentations in gastroenterology. Results Using logistic regression analysis, the study found that there is a relationship between diagnostic reasoning strategy and the likelihood of diagnostic success. Compared to hypothetico-deductive reasoning, the odds of diagnostic success were significantly greater when subjects used the diagnostic strategies of pattern recognition and scheme-inductive reasoning. Two other factors emerged as independent determinants of diagnostic success: expertise and clinical presentation. Not surprisingly, experts outperformed novices, while the content area of the clinical cases in each of the four clinical presentations demonstrated varying degrees of difficulty and thus diagnostic success. Conclusions These findings have significant implications for medical educators. It supports the introduction of ,schemes' as a means of enhancing memory organization and improving diagnostic success. [source]


Mixed methods research in school psychology: A mixed methods investigation of trends in the literature

PSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 4 2008
Heather Powell
This article illustrates the utility of mixed methods research (i.e., combining quantitative and qualitative techniques) to the field of school psychology. First, the use of mixed methods approaches in school psychology practice is discussed. Second, the mixed methods research process is described in terms of school psychology research. Third, the current state of affairs with respect to mixed methods designs in school psychology research is illustrated through a mixed methods analysis of the types of empirical studies published in the four leading school psychology journals between 2001 and 2005. Only 13.7% of these studies were classified as representing mixed methods research. We conclude that this relatively small proportion likely reflects the fact that only 3.5% of graduate-level school psychology programs appear to require that students enroll in one or more qualitative and/or mixed methods research courses, and only 19.3% appear to offer one or more qualitative courses as an elective. Finally, the utility of mixed methods research is illustrated by critiquing select monomethod (i.e., qualitative or quantitative) and mixed methods studies conducted on the increasingly important topic of bullying. We demonstrate how using mixed methods techniques results in richer data being collected, leading to a greater understanding of underlying phenomena. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Structural and contextual correlates of charged behavior in product development teams

THE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2001
Rajesh Sethi
Firms increasingly use cross-functional teams to develop new products, yet we know little about the processes that make teams excel. Although studies have focused on within-team processes like cooperation between and integration of individuals from various functional areas, some emerging literature suggests that the processes that make teams excel are richer and more complex than cooperation and integration. In order to capture the processes that lead to excellent market performance of new products, we introduce the concept of charged team behavior, the extent to which cross-functional product development teams are enthusiastically and jointly driven to develop superior new products. Charged team behavior captures not only the drive, commitment, and joy of team members, but also their collaborative behaviors to achieve an exceptional outcome. We propose and test a series of hypotheses concerning how charged behavior affects new product market performance and how charged behavior is, in turn, influenced by both team structural characteristics (physical proximity, team longevity, and outcome interdependence) and contextual factors (senior management encouragement to take risk, quality orientation, exposure to customer input, extent of competition, and interdepartmental connectedness). It is particularly important to examine the antecedents of charged behavior because there are concerns that some of the team-related factors generally considered to be useful for teams may not necessarily lead to charged teams. Data from new consumer product development teams is analyzed though structural equation modeling for hypothesis testing. We find evidence that highly charged teams are more likely to develop successful new products. Results also indicate that outcome interdependence, exposure to customer input, extent of competition, and interdepartmental connectedness are positively related to charged behavior. Physical proximity, team longevity, encouragement to take risk, and quality orientation do not improve teams' charged behavior. Data suggests that charged team behavior: 1) fully mediates the effects of outcome interdependence and interdepartmental connectedness on performance, 2) partially mediates the influence of exposure to customer input and the extent of competition on performance, and 3) does not mediate the effects of quality orientation and physical proximity on performance. Our study highlights the importance of creating highly charged product development teams in order to achieve exceptional performance. Further, our results indicate that some of the factors suggested by traditional social psychology research for enhancing team effectiveness (e.g., physical proximity and team longevity) may not necessarily create charged teams. Instead, charged teams need a special arrangement, in which members are accountable to the team and where their evaluations and rewards are also linked to the performance of the team. In addition, although a strong emphasis on quality is considered to be beneficial for new products, as our results indicate, such emphasis cannot create a charged atmosphere. Moreover, our research suggests that if the organization structure does not permit frequent contact between individuals across functional boundaries, the creation of a strongly charged team and development of a successful new product will be hindered. [source]