Victor M. Catano

Assessing the predictive validity of emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence has become a fashionable topic in the popular press, and has been heralded as an effective predictor of successful performance. However, little empirical evidence has borne out these claims. The present study was conducted in order to determine the relationship of emotional intelligence, cognitive ability, and personality with academic achievement. Emotional intelligence was assessed using the EQ-i (total EQ-i score and five EQ-i composite factor scores). Both cognitive ability and personality (in terms of extraversion and self control) were significantly associated with academic achievement. None of the EQ-i factor scores, nor the total EQ-i score, was significantly related to academic achievement.

Exploring commitment and leadership in volunteer organizations

Volunteer organizations, where there is no employment relationship between the member and the organization, represent an interesting context in which to explore the effects of leadership and organizational commitment. We present the results from a study of 212 Canadian volunteer leaders from an international social/charitable organization. Volunteer leaders were more psychologically involved and committed to their organization than comparable leaders from a trade union. The volunteer leaders rated higher than their union counterparts in transformational leadership and socialization. Union leaders were more transactional and held stronger Marxist work beliefs. Both volunteer and union leaders reported similar humanistic views on work. There were no differences with respect to inter‐role conflict that both types of leaders experienced. Discussion of the results focuses on application of these findings to changing organizational environments and their interaction of work and non‐work issues.

Sense of Community and Union Participation

Using data from 925 union members, this study reviewed psychological sense of community as a predictor of several criterion measures of union participation. While sense of community did not predict positive actions toward the union, a lack of it did predict filing a grievance against the organization. The results are discussed from the perspective of community psychology.

RELATION OF IMPROVED PERFORMANCE THROUGH VERBAL PRAISE TO SOURCE OF PRAISE

Verbal praise was administered to 60 undergraduates performing mirror tracing on hard and easy tasks either by E or a member of Ss peer group. Results showed that only Es praise led to improved performance on both tasks. Verbal praise did not affect the rate of improvement. Verbal praise was interpreted as operating through an information feedback-incentive mechanism.

Student perception of teaching effectiveness: development and validation of the Evaluation of Teaching Competencies Scale (ETCS)

A major criticism of student evaluations of teaching is that they do not reflect student perspectives. Using critical incidents job analysis, students identified nine teaching effectiveness competencies: communication, availability, creativity, individual consideration, social awareness, feedback, professionalism, conscientiousness and problem‐solving. The behaviourally anchored Evaluation of Teaching Competencies Scale is a highly reliable (alpha = .94), unidimensional measure that correlated strongly with an instructor‐related composite of the Students’ Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ, r = .72), but not to a SEEQ composite related to instructor assigned work (r = .04, N = 195). The results are discussed in the context of other measures of teaching effectiveness and transformational leadership theory.

Third-party support for strike action.

Labor strikes are often seen as battles for public support. Members of the public are asked to show respect for a strike by refusing to cross the picket line or by joining strikers on the picket line. Such public support may affect the morale of strikers and influence the strikes duration. Despite the perceived importance of the public in labor disputes, members of third parties have not been considered in previous strike research. In 2 studies, the authors show that a new measure of third-party strike support is unidimensional and highly reliable. In both cases, union attitudes and perceptions of distributive justice were significant predictors of support for strike action. Those who are more supportive of unions in general and believe that the contract offered to the strikers was unfair were more likely to support the strike by engaging in such actions as conversing with strikers, writing letters, and refusing to cross the picket line.

Using Measures Of Specific Abilities To Predict Training Performance in Canadian Forces Operator Occupations

This study examined the predictive validity of information processing measures—Speed of Closure, Flexibility of Closure, Perceptual Speed, and Auditory Attention—on training performance. The incremental validity of these validity measures beyond general cognitive ability was examined in a military sample of Canadian Forces personnel in the Operator Family. Trainees engaged in Qualification Level 3 training (n = 122) completed 5 information processing ability measures, the Canadian Forces General Classification Test Form 3 Revised (n = 72), and the Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (n = 98). The criterion was a global percentage grade taken from course evaluation reports. Information processing improved the predictive validity of selection against training performance when used with measures of general cognitive ability (ΔR2 = .06). The only specific ability measure that significantly predicted training performance was the X-A2 battery, a measure of auditory attention (β = .21, p < .05). The information processing measures did not reach significance but still contributed to the predictive equation. These results are comparable with past research where specific abilities provided small yet statistically significant increases in incremental validity beyond g.

Union members’ attitudes and perceptions about their union: Winning a representational election following a merger of four hospitals

In preparation for a representational election following a hospital merger, one union initiated a study of its members’ perceptions. Telephone interviews with a random sample of 410 union members assessed the union’s provision of service to its members, communication with members, union satisfaction, union democracy, union loyalty and their sense of community. Union loyalty, union satisfaction, sense of community and union democracy were the best predictors of the members’ views and attitudes about their union, and their predisposition to support the union in the representational election. The results demonstrate the importance of both instrumentality and socialization in a union’s survival.

Effectiveness of Verbal Praise as a Function of Expertise of its Source

Verbal praise was given 40 undergraduates who worked on a mirror-tracing task by an agent taking the role of experimenter, a member of the subjects peer group, or a peer with expertise on the task. Experimenters praise improved performance most and peers praise least; the expert peers praise was intermediate. Verbal praise affected rate of improvement. The improvement in quality of performance was not at the expense of time needed to complete the task.

IMPROVEMENT IN WORKERS' PERFORMANCE THROUGH FEEDBACK OF INFORMATION ON SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

Two groups of helicopter technicians filled out data forms after completing maintenance and repairs as routine procedure. When information stating what changes had been made in the system as a result of data collected from the forms was given to the experimental group, the mean error-rate in completing the forms fell significantly from 58.2% to 46.5%. The experimental group had a significantly lower average error-rate (24.6%) than the control (50.6%). The control groups performance was not different from pre-experimental levels.