Ronald G. Downey

Rating the ratings: Assessing the psychometric quality of rating data.

Reviews research that is concerned with evaluating the psychometric qualities of data in the form of ratings (rating errors) and that has been plagued with conceptual and operational confusion and inconsistency. Following a brief historical survey, inconsistencies in definitions, quantifications, and methodologies are documented in a review of more than 20 relevant articles published in Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, and Personnel Psychology (1975-1977). Empirical implications of these inconsistencies are discussed, and a revised typology of rating criteria, combined with a multivariate analytic approach, is suggested. (65 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)

Missing Data in Likert Ratings: A Comparison of Replacement Methods

The effects of using two methods (item mean and person mean) for replacing missing data in Likert scales were studied. The results showed that both methods were good representations of the original data when both the number of respondents with missing data and the number of items missing were 20% or less. As the numbers of missing items and of respondents with missing data increased for the person mean substitution method, a spurious increase in the inter-item correlations (and, therefore, reliability) for the sale was produced. The item mean substitution reduced the reliability estimates of the scale. These results suggest caution in the use of the person mean substitution method as the numbers of missing items and respondents increase.

Core Self-Evaluations and Job Burnout: The Test of Alternative Models.

Research on job burnout has traditionally focused on contextual antecedent conditions, although a theoretically appropriate conception implicates person-environment relationships. The authors tested several models featuring various combinations of personal and contextual influences on burnout and job satisfaction. Measures of core self-evaluations, organizational constraints, burnout, and job satisfaction were collected from 859 health care employees. Results from structural equations modeling analyses revealed an influence of core self-evaluations and perceived organizational constraints on job burnout and satisfaction, suggesting personal and contextual contributions. These results favor a broadening of current thinking about the impact of situational constraints on the expression of job burnout, as well as for the role of disposition for affective responding to effectively address occupational health problems.

Using Global Student Rating Items for Summative Evaluation.

Research has established the multidimensional nature of student ratings of teaching, but debate continues concerning the use of multiple- versus single-item ratings for summative evaluation. In this study the usefulness of global items in predicting weighted-composite evaluations of teaching was evaluated with a sample of 17,183 classes from 105 institutions. In separate regression analyses containing 2 global items―one concerning the instructor, the other concerning the course―each global item accounted for more than 50% of the variance in the weightedcomposite criterion measure. Student, class, and method items generally added much less variance

Gender and Age Differences in Food Cognition

Results from three studies relevant to a model of food cognition based on the evaluative dimensions pleasure, health, and convenience are reported. In the first study, discriminant analyses of the evaluative ratings (n = 248) of 35 meals and snacks yielded significant gender and age differences on the pleasure and health dimensions. Separate factor analyses of the pleasure and health ratings revealed that males and females grouped foods differently on these criteria. The factor analysis of convenience ratings suggested that males and females perceive the meaning of convenience differently. In the second study, 336 college students rated 27 meals on the three evaluative dimensions and also indicated their preferences for each meal. Multiple regression analyses showed that preferences could be significantly predicted, and other results showed that as compared to males, females give higher health, pleasure and convenience ratings to healthy meals. The third study employed a modified free association technique to investigate gender and age differences in the meanings of nine familiar foods. Data from 96 males and females aged 18 to 86 revealed a substantial variety of significant age and gender differences for specific foods. It is suggested that taken together, these results indicate important cognitive and affective sources for gender and age-related food attitudes.

Construct Dimensionality of Engagement and its Relation With Satisfaction

Engagement—a persistent and positive affective-motivational state of fulfillment characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption (W. B. Schaufeli, M. Salanova, V. González-Roma, & A. B. Bakker, 2002)—has become a popular subject among academic and industry researchers. Following suggestions in the recent literature calling for further examination of the underlying factors comprising the construct of engagement, the authors investigated the factor structure of W. B. Schaufeli et al.s measure of engagement and academic engagements relation to academic satisfaction. Previous researchers found a 3-factor structure of engagement that comprises vigor, dedication, and absorption. The authors administered to a sample of university students a questionnaire on their level of engagement in academic work and various other measures. The results did not confirm the 3-factor structure. The present authors found engagement and satisfaction to be highly related constructs.

Reasons for eating : an exploratory cognitive analysis

Although a great deal is known about what people eat and the demographic and life style factors associated with food habits, relatively little systematic work has been done to investigate why people choose various foods. The present study describes a common‐sense approach to this question. Based on a series of free‐ranging exploratory interviews, a questionnaire that asked persons to rate 35 menu meals and snacks in terms of four scales; pleasure, health, tradition and convenience, was administered to 248 males (N = 104) and females (N = 144) ranging in age from 17 to 72 years. Series of component and discriminant analyses were performed for each scale. Results showing significant differences for age, sex and nutrition knowledge demonstrate it is possible to identify salient, common‐sense meanings of foods that combine to determine their status as items of dietary choice. Apart from providing a rigorous technique for cognitive mapping of food meanings, these results suggest new possibilities for studying ...

Conceptual differences between meals

Abstract This study follows up prior research findings indicating that people employed evaluative and social-emotional criteria in significantly different ways when asked to conceptualize their recent morning, midday and evening meals. A convenience sample ( N =157) of males and females ranging in age from 18 to 87 rated their most recent and their “ideal” morning, midday and evening meals on a series of evaluative and social–emotional scales. Analysis of the combined recent and ideal meal ratings showed that regardless of the variable meal contents, morning meals were generally seen as significantly less expensive, more casual, convenient and lighter than other meals, whereas evening meals were seen as more unusual, elderly, masculine and happy than other meals. Comparisons between recent and ideal meals revealed that the latter are seen as significantly better liked, less convenient, happier, heavier, and more unusual than the former. Moreover, older women stood out as rating both their recent and ideal meals as healthier than all other respondents. Additional factor analytic results showed substantial structural differences between the patterns of evaluative and social–emotional ratings applied to recent morning, midday and evening meals. Pending further research with a larger, more representative sample, it is concluded that there are important conceptual and social–emotional differences between morning, midday and evening meals.

Service orientation of restaurant employees.

Service orientation has been characterized as the disposition of employees to be helpful, thoughtful, considerate, and cooperative toward guests. The purpose of this study was to examine service orientation of restaurant employees and managers. Data were collected from 852 employees and 309 managers working in pizza restaurants in the United States. Respondents provided job attribute and demographic information. Results suggest that service orientation is comprised of three elements: organizational support, customer focus, and service under pressure. Common to each of the three components of service orientation was the relationship of job security; employees who indicated higher ratings for job security also had higher ratings for each of the service orientation components. Higher ratings for the organizational support and customer service components of service orientation were indicated by employees with higher job satisfaction and job involvement ratings.

Organizational Commitment of Management Employees in Restaurant Operations

Results of research in industrial psychology have suggested that the concept of organizational commitment is comprised of two components: affective and continuance commitment. Affectively committed employees like their job and want to be there; continuance committed employees stay with their jobs out of fear of the loss of benefits or the difficulties associated with making a change. The purpose of this research was to determine whether affective and continuance commitment components could be identified in restaurant managers. Data were collected from 186 managers and assistant managers of pizza restaurants across the United States. Results indicated that organizational commitment of these managers was comprised of both affective and continuance commitment. Examination of several job and demographic variables revealed that length of time working for the company, service orientation, job security, job satisfaction, job involvement, intention to quit, unscheduled absences, and work schedule may be related to the degree of affective and/or continuance commitment.