Beryl Hesketh

Power Distance, Individualism/Collectivism, and Job-Related Attitudes in a Culturally Diverse Work Group

Hofstedes power distance (PD) and individualism (IDV) constructs were validated in the context of a single multicultural work setting. Two hundred sixty-three workers from 28 different countries employed in the information services branch of a large Australian bank completed a questionnaire the items of which measured some implications of the constructs, namely: superior-subordinate relationships, decision-making styles, the work ethic, task orientation, the psychological contract, and individual versus group achievement. On the basis of their Hofstede country index, the subjects were divided into high and low PD and IDV groups, respectively, and differences in their scores on theoretically relevant items provided support for both constructs. The questionnaire also included items stenming from the model about the nature and incidence of inteethnic work-related friction. As predicted, the out-group non-Anglo-Celt respondents reported a greater incidence of discrimination, regarded cultural diversity in the workplace more favorably, and engaged in more behaviors that the host culture would regard as countemormative.

An application of computerized fuzzy graphics rating scale to the psychological measurement of individual differences

This paper aims to outline and evaluate a new approach to measurement within psychology. A computerized fuzzy graphic rating scale which is an extension of a semantic differential is described. The scale allows respondents to provide an imprecise rating and lends itself to analysis using fuzzy set theory. Respondents rated nine occupational stimuli, carefully chosen to represent three levels of prestige (Daniel, 1983) and three levels of sex-type (Shinar, 1975), eight fuzzy graphic rating scales (5 for prestige and 3 for sex-type). A single expected value was calculated for the fuzzy ratings of the occupations to permit correlations with the a priori values for the nine occupations. Various combinations of scales were obtained by forming the union of individual fuzzy ratings. Expected values based on combined scales were calculated and the results were also correlated with the a priori Daniel and Shinar scale values. Potential applications of the fuzzy graphic rating scale are outlined.

Practical Applications and Psychometric Evaluation of a Computerised Fuzzy Graphic Rating Scale

Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes the need for fuzzy measurement in many fields of psychology. The chapter also describes a fuzzy graphic rating scale, its validation, and ways in which the scale can be used in various fields. Fuzzy logic defines concepts and techniques which provide a mathematical method able to deal with thought processes which are too imprecise to be dealt with by classical mathematical techniques. A perennial issue in psychological assessment has been the extent to which differences in psychological test scores are a function of genuine individual differences rather than differences imposed (or obscured) by the constraints of the measurement procedures. Fuzzy set theory takes account of the reality of imprecision of human thought by allowing ranges of scores to be measured and translated into a single score. Sherif and Sherif discussed the notion of latitudes of acceptance and rejection in attitude measurement. The fuzzy graphic rating scale offers a direct way of addressing these notions of ranges within the domain of attitude measurement.

Work Adjustment Theory: An empirical test using a fuzzy rating scale☆

Abstract This study aimed to test several components of the Theory of Work Adjustment ( Dawis & Lofquist, 1984 ) on a sample of 170 bank personnel using a fuzzy graphic rating scale to elicit work preferences and job perceptions. Indices of correspondence between work preferences and job perceptions correlated significantly with satisfaction. Although some of the correspondence-satisfaction relation was mediated through performance, performance did not moderate the relation. Both satisfaction and performance related significantly to tenure intentions. The satisfaction-tenure intentions relation was higher among poorer performers. The effects of gender and time in the organization were also examined. Although results support the Theory of Work Adjustment, more precise statements about the role of performance are required.

Career compromise: A test of Gottfredson's (1981) theory using a policy-capturing procedure☆

Abstract The aim of this study was to test Gottfredsons (1981) compromise model by comparing the relative importance of sex-type, prestige, and interests under career preference and compromise choice situations using a policy-capturing paradigm. Thirty-seven participants rated the attractiveness of 27 hypothetical jobs created through the factorial combination of each of the 3 levels of sex-type, prestige, and interests. The unique percentage of variance accounted for by each factor for each respondent was calculated and these data were subjected to a 3 × 2 repeated measures analysis of variance. No support was found for Gottfredsons compromise model. Sex-type was not the most resistant to compromise nor were interests most easily compromised. Results are discussed in light of the difficulties encountered in testing Gottfredsons compromise model. The comparative advantages of process-oriented but content-free theories such as those outlined by Gati (1986) are highlighted.

Instance-based categorization: automatic versus intentional forms of retrieval.

Two experiments are reported which attempt to disentangle the relative contribution of intentional and automatic forms of retrieval to instance-based categorization. A financial decision-making task was used in which subjects had to decide whether a bank would approve loans for a series of applicants. Experiment 1 found that categorization was sensitive to instance-specific knowledge, even when subjects had practiced using a simple rule. L. L. Jacoby’s (1991) process-dissociation procedure was adapted for use in Experiment 2 to infer the relative contribution of intentional and automatic retrieval processes to categorization decisions. The results provided (1) strong evidence that intentional retrieval processes influence categorization, and (2) some preliminary evidence suggesting that automatic retrieval processes may also contribute to categorization decisions.

Computerized fuzzy ratings: The concept of a fuzzy class

In this paper, we outline the concept of a fuzzy class used in programs for eliciting computerized fuzzy ratings. Fuzzy ratings allow respondents to provide symmetrical or asymmetrical latitudes of acceptance around a preferred point. These ratings have been used in research testing career theories and person-environment fit models. The variables defining the fuzzy class and the various functions that can be performed by it are described in the paper. The idea of a fuzzy class may be of interest to those involved in expert systems, knowledge engineering, or in fuzzy classification and measurement in general. A program, FUZRATE, written in object-oriented C++ code that uses the concept of a fuzzy class, is available on request. Both source code and a binary (executable) file are available.

Use of fuzzy variables in developing new scales from the Strong Interest Inventory.

In 3 phases of analysis on one Australian sample, the concept of a fuzzy variable was used to develop new sex-type, prestige, and Holland interest scales from the Occupational scales of the Strong Interest Inventory (SII). Theoretically, the scales provide a basis for understanding avoidant reactions and the influence of sex type and prestige on interests. Phases 1 and 2 of the study describe intercorrelations among three measures of Holland themes and measures of sex type and prestige (occupational social space; L. S. Gottfredson, 1981). Phase 3 describes similar relationships but among scales derived from scoring the Occupational scales of the SII separately for distinctive likes and distinctive dislikes. Comments are offered about potential counseling and research uses for the new measures

Time Perception: Effects of Task Speed and Delay

The study examined the effect of task speed and delay on the perception of time. 60 subjects were randomly allocated to four groups in a 2 × 2 design. The first factor related to the speed of the task (fast or slow) undertaken during the time to be estimated, while the second factor related to when time estimates were obtained (immediately after the task versus following a delay). Analysis supported the hypothesised interaction, with time estimates being shorter in the fast than in the slow condition when obtained immediately after the task but longer in the fast than the slow condition when obtained after a delay. Results are discussed in relation to cognitive theories of time perception.

Career Compromise and Adjustment Among Graduates in the Banking Industry

Abstract A study is reported which aimed to examine several factors associated with career compromise and adjustment among 100 graduates in a bank. Contrary to predictions derived from Gottfredsons theory, satisfaction with the sextype of their jobs did not relate to perceptions of compromise; satisfaction with prestige explained some unique variance in compromise perceptions, but satisfaction with outlets for interests and use of skills and abilities were more important. Case data were used to explore other factors involved in the perception of career compromise. Qualitative data collected in the interviews with graduates highlighted several ways in which employers, graduates and career advisers can ease the transition from university to work.