From sensation to cognition: a perception-based training intervention for the development of relational competences in young Italian apprentices

Riccardo Sartori,Arianna Costantini

doi:10.1108/ejtd-03-2020-0044

Riccardo Sartori, Arianna Costantini

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1108/ejtd-03-2020-0044

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Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to test the effectiveness of a training intervention based on the psychology of perception, delivered to young Italian workers and employees, with low education, hired with an apprenticeship contract and involved in a compulsory training course (duration 32 h; the training intervention reported in the paper covers the first 8 h) whose aim was to let them develop such relational competencies as communication and cooperation with others.Design/methodology/approachBy making use of optical-geometric illusions and ambiguous figures, participants were accompanied through a training intervention with the dual purpose of undermining their naive certainties about why they see what they see and increasing their awareness of how the perceptual processes work. At the beginning of the intervention, at the end of the 32 h (that is, after about a month) and after about one year from the end of the course, participants were administered a questionnaire to monitor the results of the training course by measuring their “perception awareness”.Findings“Perception awareness” increased from the beginning to the end of the course and still scored higher after one year. “Perception awareness” was positively related to communication and cooperation.Originality/valueAlthough the literature is full of training courses delivered to improve communication and cooperation with others, little research has been carried out on perception-based training interventions delivered to young adults with low education hired with an apprenticeship contract for which this kind of training is compulsory.

Highlights

Literature is full of papers and books dealing with training interventions whose aim is to let workers and employees develop such relational competencies as communication and cooperation with others (Costantini et al, 2019)
Materials and methods Participants and procedure In total, 63 young Italian workers and employees, with low education, hired with an apprenticeship contract for which this kind of training is compulsory and randomly divided into four groups of about 15 people each (14–17) were involved in a training intervention for relational competencies starting from the study of their perceptual processes
Note: At the end of the course and after about one year from the end of the course ambiguous figures are more complex than the segments, lines and geometrical patterns previously seen and are experienced by people as “more natural”

Summary

Introduction

Literature is full of papers (i.e. the one by Ammentorp et al, 2007) and books (i.e. the one by Salas et al, 2001) dealing with training interventions whose aim is to let workers and employees develop such relational competencies as communication and cooperation with others (Costantini et al, 2019). The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

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