Larry M. Coutts

Police officer performance appraisal systems

Constables, sergeants, and staff sergeants (n=393) representing 15 municipal Canadian police departments completed a survey in which they reported about their organizations’ performance appraisal practices. In general, the officers’ responses suggested that their organizations’ performance appraisal systems were deficient with respect to well‐established key components of performance appraisal. Most officers indicated that they, for example, had little or no opportunity for input, did not receive informal feedback on a regular basis, received evaluations that were based on personal traits (as opposed to performance criteria), and their appraisals did not to lead to improved job performance or the identification of career development objectives. Also, the vast majority of officers indicated that supervisors received little or no training. In addition to emphasizing the need for improved supervisor training, the discussion focused on the negative consequences of inadequate performance appraisal at the individual level (e.g. employee development) and the organizational level (e.g. poor utilization of resources and undermining other systems and organizational change strategies).

Visual behavior in an unfocused interaction as a function of sex and distance.

Following Goffmans distinction between focused and unfocused interactions, the visual behavior of male, female, and mixed sex dyads in an unfocused interaction (waiting room situation) was investigated. Amount of visual behavior decreased over time and with increasing proximity of the interactants. While the sex of the looker was not a significant source of variance, females received more glances than males. Also, more glances occurred in female dyads than in either male or mixed sex dyads. The amount of mutual gaze accounted for 1% of the interaction time and was found not to exceed the level expected by chance. Attention was drawn to the differences in the patterns of visual behavior which occurred in the present unfocused interaction and those which have been found to occur in focused interactions.

In Favour of Coeducation: The Educational Attitudes of Students from Coeducational and Single-Sex High Schools

Four hypotheses about differences in educational attitudes of students in coeducational and single-sex high schools were derived from previous research on the socialpsychological environments of such schools. These hypotheses were that, compared with students from single-sex schools, coeducational school students would have more positive attitudes toward teachers, more positive self-concepts of academic ability, more positive attitudes toward high school, and stronger preferences for the type of school (coeducational or single-sex) in which theywere enrolled. The research participants included 2,029 grades 10 to 12 students from five coeducational, four allfemale, and four all-male separate high schools. The students completed a questionnaire that included scales relevant to each of the hypotheses. The results provided support for the second and fourth hypotheses and partial support for the first and third.

Evaluation of an oncology outpatient orientation program: patient satisfaction and outcomes

A person’s first visit to an outpatient cancer center is typically marked by considerable stress and negative emotion. Thus, innovative support interventions that aim to ameliorate such stress and emotion are warranted. This study evaluated one such intervention—a new-patient orientation program in a cancer center. The program is designed to: (1) provide patients with information about the center’s facilities and procedures, (2) give them an opportunity to ask questions and discuss personal concerns, (3) provide them with detailed information concerning support services available in both the community and the cancer center, and (4) provide them with access to a support care practitioner for follow-up contact. Following the orientation program, 213 participants completed a mailed questionnaire designed to measure their level of satisfaction with various aspects of the orientation program and the effect of the program on their emotional state. The results showed that participants were extremely satisfied with the program, it helped them deal more effectively with their first visit to the center, and it increased their feelings of relaxation and comfort and reduced their feelings of fear and anxiety. These results support the use of informational and support interventions as an effective means of improving cancer care.

Person orientation of male and female high school students: To the Educational disadvantage of males?

Potential differences in the person orientation of male and female high school students that are likely to have a significant influence on their achievement strivings were investigated. A questionnaire, consisting of several indices of person orientation, was administered to 848 grade 10 and 12 students. The data revealed that boys are especially susceptible to anti-intellectual influences from their peers and suggest that the interference of affiliative concerns with achievement behavior, a problem that has received considerable attention in the psychology of women, may also be very relevant to understanding the academic underachievement of males.