Mary Jo Ducharme

Memory codes for temporal and nontemporal samples in many-to-one matching by pigeons

Pigeons were trained to match temporal (2 and 8 sec of keylight) and color (red and green) samples to vertical and horizontal comparison stimuli. In Experiment 1, samples that were associated with the same correct comparison stimulus displayed similar retention functions; and there was no significant choose-short effect following temporal samples. This finding was replicated in Phase 1 of Experiment 2 for birds maintained on the many-to-one mapping, and it was also obtained in birds that had been switched to a one-to-one mapping by changing the comparison stimuli following color samples. However, in Phase 2 of Experiment 2, when the one-to-one mapping was produced by changing the comparison stimuli following temporal samples, a significant choose-short effect was observed. In Experiment 3, intratrial interference tests gave evidence of temporal summation effects when either temporal presamples or color presamples preceded temporal targets. This occurred even though these interference tests followed delay tests that failed to reveal significant choose-short effects. The absence of significant choose-short effects in Experiment 1 and in Phase 1 of Experiment 2 indicates that temporal samples are not retrospectively and analogically coded when temporal and nontemporal samples are mapped onto the same set of comparisons The interference test results suggest that the temporal summation effect arises from nonmemorial properties of the timing system and is independent of the memory code being used

Compensating for Failure through Social Comparison

Three studies tested the hypothesis that the motive to compensate—to cast favorable light on the self after a threat to self-esteem—can lead people to seek social comparisons. Participants were high self-esteem undergraduates. In Experiment 1, participants who had failed sought more comparisons when they were allowed to compare on their strongest attributes than when they were allowed to compare on their weakest attributes. In Experiment 2, participants had a choice between comparing on a coparticipant’s “superior” or “average” dimension. Success participants selected the other’s strength for comparison, whereas failure participants selected the other’s relative weakness. In Experiment 3, failure participants were less likely to seek comparisons if they had already compensated via a self-affirmation task. These studies employed novel or rarely used measures of social comparison, and the results have implications for both the social comparison and self-esteem literatures.

Exploring the Links between Performance Appraisals and Pay Satisfaction

Pay satisfaction is a key goal of an organization’s reward system because it affects employee behaviors and organizational outcomes, such as job satisfaction, turnover, absenteeism, work stoppages, and employee performance. Given limited resources and a finite ability to increase pay, how can organizations increase employee satisfaction with their compensation? This article examines the effects of performance appraisals on pay satisfaction. Using a sample of more than 15,000 employees, we found that pay satisfaction is the highest when performance pay is tied to the employee’s performance and the lowest when there are no performance appraisals in organizations, even if there is performance pay. Implications for management are discussed.

Differential outcome expectancies and memory for temporal and nontemporal stimuli in pigeons

Abstract The effects of differential outcome expectancies on memory for temporal sample stimuli were examined in two experiments. Pigeons were required to indicate whether a houselight sample stimulus was short (2 s) or long (8 s) by pecking a red or a green comparison stimulus. In Experiment 1, the nondifferential outcome (NDO) group received reinforcement with a probability of 0.6 for correct responses to either sample. The differential outcome (DO) groups received reinforcement with a probability of 1.0 for correct responses following one sample and a probability of 0.2 for correct responses following the other sample. The high probability of reinforcement was associated with either the short sample (DO-Short group) or the long sample (DO-Long group). Relative to the NDO group, the choose-short effect was enhanced in the DO-Short group and eliminated in the DO-Long group. In Experiment 2, half of the NDO birds were shifted to the DO-Short condition and the other half to the DO-Long condition. In addition, both temporal and nontemporal (line orientation) sample stimuli were used. For nontemporal samples, accuracy was greater on high- than on low-probability-of-reinforcement trials, but the slopes of the delay gradients were the same. For temporal samples, the data generally replicated those obtained in Experiment 1. When different probabilities of reward are associated with temporal samples, the working memory code is neither exclusively an outcome expectancy code nor exclusively a retrospective and analogical code of event duration.

Developmental differences in study behavior.

This study is a developmental examination of strategy instruction and the context that promotes when and how strategy instruction is maximized. The 4 experimental manipulations included comparisons between 2 strategy conditions, familiar and unfamiliar text, dyad versus individual study, and 4 age groups (M = 10.5, 14.7, 19.9, and 21.9 years). The 486 students from Grades 5-6, and 9-10 and 1st- and 4th-year university were assigned randomly to 1 strategy condition (self-study or elaborative interrogation) and 1 study context (dyad or individual). Participants studied and recalled 60 facts about familiar and unfamiliar animals. Explicit instruction in elaborative interrogation promoted memory performance, especially in the younger population. Studying in dyads enhanced memory and quality of study across age. To enhance text learning performance, students should be given explicit strategy instruction and should study interactively with their peers.

Alterations in the memory code for temporal events induced by differential outcome expectancies in pigeons

The effect of differential outcome expectancies on memory for temporal and nontemporal information was examined. Pigeons were trained to match short (2-sec) and long (8-sec) sample durations to red and green comparison stimuli, and vertical and horizontal lines to vertical and horizontal comparison stimuli. In Experiment 1, one differential outcome (DO) group received food for correct choices on short-sample trials, whereas another received food for correct choices on long-sample trials. On line-orientation trials, half of each DO group received food for correct responses following vertical samples, whereas the other half received food for correct responses following horizontal samples. Overall retention was greater in the DO groups than in a nondifferential (NDO) group that received either food or no food for correct responses on a random half of all trials. Furthermore, although the NDO group displayed a choose-short bias for temporal samples, both DO groups displayed equivalent biases to select the comparison stimulus associated with food. In Experiment 2, differential outcome expectancies were extinguished off-baseline. Subsequently, in the first nondifferential outcome test session, the. DO groups performed less, accurately than the NDO group. These findings indicate that temporal samples are not retrospectively and analogically coded when they are differentially associated with food and no food. Instead, they are remembered in terms of the corresponding outcome expectancies.

Do “rising stars” avoid risk?: status-based labels and decision making

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine how status-based labels, based on future capabilities, can impact peoples risk tolerance in decision making. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper the authors developed and tested theoretical arguments using a set of three studies employing a scenario-based approach and a total of 449 undergraduate business students. Findings – The findings suggest that labeling people in terms of future capabilities can trigger perceptions of public scrutiny and influence their risk preferences. Specifically, the results reveal that individuals who are recipients of high-status labels tend to choose lower risk decision options compared to their peers. Research limitations/implications – The study employed scenarios to examine the issue of employee labeling. The extent to which these scenarios have truly captured the dynamics of labeling is questionable, and future research should employ a field-based study to examine whether the reported effect can be o...

Variable pay: its impact on motivation and organisation performance

Variable pay is commonly associated with many positive individual and organisation level outcomes, and yet the literature suggests that variable pay plans in general are failing to provide individual performance results. Improved organisation level measures may be more attributable to the inherent financial changes that accompany variable pay plans than to human resources principles. It is suggested that the true strategic advantage that can be derived from motivating employees through variable pay has yet to be fully realised or measured. Implications for theoretical and empirical study are discussed.