Cross-sectional Field Studies Research Articles

Country Life in the Digital Era: Comparison of Technology Use and Cybercrime Victimization between Residents of Rural and Urban Environments in Slovenia

Cybercrime is one of the most significant security challenges of the 21st century. However, official statistics do not provide insights into its prevalence and nature. Representative cross-sectional field studies may help fill this gap, focusing on differences between urban and rural technology users. We (a) investigated the association between the purpose of computers and other electronic device usage and perceived vulnerability, (b) compared the differences in the purpose of computers or other electronic device use and perceived vulnerability, and (c) compared the perceived cyber victimization between residents of rural and urban areas. We conducted a field study that resulted in a representative sample of the Republic of Slovenia in Europe. We found several significant differences in the purpose of technology use and perceived cyber victimization. Furthermore, the results indicate that the purpose of technology use is somehow associated with perceived vulnerability in cyberspace; however, such associations are different in cyberspace than in the material world.

Assessing organizational health-analytics readiness: artifacts based on elaborated action design method

PurposeWhile the adoption of health-analytics (HA) is expanding, not every healthcare organization understands the factors impacting its readiness for HA. An assessment of HA-readiness helps guide organizational strategy and the realization of business value. Past research on HA has not included a comprehensive set of readiness-factors and assessment methods. This study’s objective is to design artifacts to assess the HA-readiness of hospitals.Design/methodology/approachThe information-systems (IS) theory and methodology entail the iterative Elaborated Action Design Research (EADR)method, combined with cross-sectional field studies involving 14 healthcare organizations and 27 participants. The researchers determine factors and leverage multi-criteria decision-making techniques to assess HA-readiness.FindingsThe artifacts emerging from this research include: (1) a map of readiness factors, (2) multi-criteria decision-making techniques that assess the readiness levels on the factors, the varying levels of factor-importance and the inter-factor relationships and (3) an instantiated system. The in-situ evaluation shows how these artifacts can provide insights and strategic direction to an organization through collective knowledge from stakeholders.Originality/valueThis study finds new factors influencing HA-readiness, validates the well-known and details their industry-specific nuances. The methods used in this research yield a well-rounded HA readiness-assessment (HARA) approach and offer practical insights to hospitals.

Dynamics and epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii oocyst shedding in domestic and wild felids.

Oocyst shedding in domestic and wild felids is a critical yet understudied topic in Toxoplasma gondii ecology and epidemiology that shapes human and animal disease burden. We synthesized published literature dating from the discovery of felids as the definitive hosts of T.gondii in the 1960s through March 2021 to examine shedding prevalence, oocyst genotypes, and risk factors for shedding. Oocyst shedding prevalence in many geographic regions exceeded the commonly accepted 1% reported for domestic cats; crude prevalence from cross-sectional field studies of domestic cat shedding ranged from 0% in Australia to 18.8% in Africa, with greater variation in reports of oocyst shedding in free-ranging, wild felids. Shedding in wild felid species has primarily been described in captive animals, with attempted detection of oocyst shedding reported in at least 31 species. Differences in lifestyle and diet play an important role in explaining shedding variation between free-ranging unowned domestic cats, owned domestic cats and wild felids. Additional risk factors for shedding include the route of infection, diet, age and immune status of the host. It is widely reported that cats only shed oocysts after initial infection with T.gondii, but experimental studies have shown that repeat oocyst shedding can occur. Factors associated with repeat shedding are common amongst free-ranging felids (domestic and wild), which are more likely to eat infected prey, be exposed to diverse T.gondii genotypes, and have coinfections with other parasites. Repeat shedding events could play a significant yet currently ignored role in shaping environmental oocyst loading with implications for human and animal exposure. Oocyst presence in the environment is closely linked to climate variables such as temperature and precipitation, so in quantifying risk of exposure, it is important to consider the burden of T.gondii oocysts that can accumulate over time in diverse environmental matrices and sites, as well as the spatial heterogeneity of free-ranging cat populations. Key directions for future research include investigating oocyst shedding in under-sampled regions, genotyping of oocysts detected in faeces and longitudinal studies of oocyst shedding in free-ranging felids.

Stressing similarities or ignoring differences? Shedding light into different forms of color-evasive ideology with pre- and in-service teachers

The color-evasive ideology (commonly termed “colorblindness”) proposes that ethnic and cultural group memberships should be deemphasized. Yet there is a conceptual confusion around the meaning and measurement of color-evasiveness, and this construct is not used consistently in the international as well as German literature. Our purpose is to investigate whether two underlying forms of the color-evasive ideology (i.e., stressing similarities and ignoring differences) are two distinct, albeit related, constructs. We tested this hypothesis by applying these two forms of the color-evasive ideology to teachers’ cultural diversity beliefs. In two cross-sectional field studies conducted with pre-service teachers (Study 1, n = 210), and in-service teachers (Study 2, n = 99), questionnaire items on the stressing similarities ideology and items on the ignoring differences ideology loaded on two separate factors, providing a better fit to the data than the one-factor model. Mean scores on these two types of color-evasive ideology also differed substantially, indicating that participants across the two studies mainly endorsed the stressing similarities perspective. The stressing similarities and ignoring differences ideologies related differently to other intergroup ideologies (i.e., multiculturalism and polyculturalism), and showed different patterns to psychosocial functioning in culturally diverse classrooms (i.e., cultural diversity-related stress).

The Link Between Employees’ Sense of Vitality and Proactivity: Investigating the Moderating Role of Personal Fear of Invalidity

Proactive behavior has emerged as a key component in contemporary views of individual work performance. Hence, a central question in the literature is how to enhance employees’ proactive behavior. We investigated whether the more that employees experience a sense of vitality (i.e., energizing positive affect), the more likely they are to show proactive behavior at work, and whether this applies only to employees with a low personal fear of invalidity [(PFI) i.e., the inclination to be apprehensive about the risks/negative consequences of making errors]. Experimental (N = 354) and cross-sectional field (N = 85) studies provided consistent evidence for a positive relation between employees’ sense of vitality at work and their self-rated proactivity. The predicted moderation effect was observed only for manager-rated proactivity. We conclude that feeling energized in the workplace is not necessarily associated with observable proactive behavior. It is only when employees experiencing a sense of vitality at work are not prone to fearing the risks/negative consequences of making errors that they are more likely to show observable proactive behavior in an organization.

Longitudinal assessment of thermal and perceived air quality acceptability in relation to temperature, humidity, and CO2 exposure in Singapore

Thermal acceptability (TA) and perceived air quality acceptability (PAQA) are typically analyzed in climate chambers or cross-sectional field studies. Individual factors, such as expectations and perceived environment history, may influence the acceptability response. Longitudinal studies with multi-day design are absent in the literature. Fifteen Singaporean subjects participated in a 7-day longitudinal experiment in which they carried a portable sensor that continuously recorded personal air temperature, relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentration at 1-min intervals. Instantaneous TA and PAQA were regularly sampled by survey for each subject.High acceptability was found at home, restaurants and workplaces, whereas low acceptability was found for outdoor and transport environments. The participants, from Singapore's modern tropical environment spent an average of 96% of their time indoors. Weak associations were reported between acceptabilities and measured physical parameters taken independently. Clustering data by location, subject's sleeping ventilation habit, air-conditioning operation status and the changes in physical parameters over a designated time period enhanced the understanding of the acceptability results. In general, acceptability was lower for those who slept in air-conditioned environments than for those who slept without air-conditioning. The carbon dioxide mixing ratio was critical for PAQA predictions but not for TA. The Gaussian process (GP) had a better predictive power than a multiple linear regression approach. Using GP, we found that a general predictive model had comparable simulation performance as for individual predictive models. The longitudinal experiment has demonstrated effectiveness for TA and PAQA analysis, which could be beneficial to future studies in personal comfort prediction.

Value cocreation at its peak: the asymmetric relationship between coproduction and loyalty

Purpose – Coproduction, as one component of cocreation of value, offers many benefits to customers and management, but also requires customers to invest a considerable amount of effort and time. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the coproduction paradox of benefits and costs. Design/methodology/approach – One experimental study and two cross-sectional field studies across three service industries test the nonlinear relationship between level of coproduction and customer loyalty. Findings – Results show not only the optimum level but also the negative effects of increasing levels of coproduction on customer loyalty and, in turn, monetary expenditures. The negative effect can be partially offset by perceived process enjoyment (PE), such that consumers who enjoy the process exhibit increased loyalty after the optimum coproduction point. Customer self-efficacy (SE), however, further strengthens the inverted u-shaped relationship. Research limitations/implications – Further research should try to replicate the findings in more complex and less hedonic service settings (e.g. financial investments) because both PE and SE might be even more powerful here. Practical implications – Service managers need to determine the optimal degree to which customers want to engage in the creation of services and avoid overburdening them. Management should further explore opportunities to elicit feelings of fun and enjoyment through coproduction. Originality/value – Research usually highlights the potential benefits of coproduction for customers and companies and suggests a positive linear relationship between coproduction and success outcomes. This article instead shows that after an optimum level, the marginal benefits of coproduction for customer loyalty turn negative.

Alcohol-related injuries, hazardous drinking, and BrAC levels among a sample of bar patrons.

Alcohol-related injuries are a serious public health issue and research has found that alcohol consumption is positively correlated with injury risk. To better understand the association between alcohol consumption and injury risk. We conducted four anonymous cross-sectional field studies among a sample of bar patrons (N = 917) to assess breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) levels, hazardous drinking levels (based on AUDIT-C score), and past year alcohol-related injuries in Fall 2014. Next, we conducted two logistic regression analyses to predict alcohol-related injuries: one model used hazardous drinking level as a predictor variable and the other model used BrAC. Among participants in our sample, the average BrAC% was .076 (SD =.055) and the average hazardous drinking score (based on the AUDIT-C) was 5.0 (SD = 2.6). The majority of participants indicated that they had not experienced an alcohol-related injury in the past year (859; 93.7%). Our regression analyses found that each incremental increase in a participants' hazardous drinking score increased the odds of experiencing a self-reported alcohol-related injury by 1.4 times and as BrAC increased one unit of change (percentage), the odds of a past-year alcohol related injury increased twofold (OR = 2.2). Other covariates (ie, age, gender, race, college student status) did not significantly predict alcohol-related injuries in either model. High-risk drinking behaviors, including higher BrAC levels, greatly influenced experiencing an alcohol-related injury. This is the first examination of BrAC levels and alcohol-related injuries in a primarily college student sample.

Dynamic Simulation as an Approach to Understanding Hurricane Risk Response: Insights from the Stormview Lab

This article investigates the use of dynamic laboratory simulations as a tool for studying decisions to prepare for hurricane threats. A prototype web-based simulation named Stormview is described that allows individuals to experience the approach of a hurricane in a computer-based environment. In Stormview participants can gather storm information through various media, hear the opinions of neighbors, and indicate intentions to take protective action. We illustrate how the ability to exert experimental control over the information viewed by participants can be used to provide insights into decision making that would be difficult to gain from field studies, such as how preparedness decisions are affected by the nature of news coverage of prior storms, how a storm's movement is depicted in graphics, and the content of word-of-mouth communications. Data from an initial application involving a sample of Florida residents reveal a number of unexpected findings about hurricane risk response. Participants who viewed forecast graphics, which contained track lines depicting the most likely path of the storm, for example, had higher levels of preparation than those who saw graphics that showed only uncertainty cones-even among those living far from the predicted center path. Similarly, the participants who were most likely to express worry about an approaching storm and fastest to undertake preparatory action were those who, ironically, had never experienced one. Finally, external validity is evidenced by a close rank-order correspondence between patterns of information use revealed in the lab and that found in previous cross-sectional field studies.

Trends in the Incidence of Stroke and Cardiovascular Risk Factors on the Isolated Island of Okinawa: The Miyakojima Study

Rapid deterioration of cardiovascular risk control, especially obesity, has occurred in Okinawa; this may affect cardiovascular disease incidence, including stroke. Cross-sectional field studies were conducted in 2 periods, 1988-1991 as the first period, and 2002-2005 as the second period, in the isolated island of Okinawa, Miyakojima. To evaluate population backgrounds related to cardiovascular risk factors, data from the health checkup programs conducted in 1987 and 2001 were surveyed. Total of 257 patients in the first period and 370 in the second were diagnosed with first-time stroke. The age-adjusted annual incidence rate of first-time stroke of the first and second periods was 124 and 144 per 100,000 standard population of Japan. The age-adjusted annual incidence rate showed an upward trend for brain infarction (50 to 73) and downward trend for brain hemorrhage (61 to 54); however, those trends were not significant. The health checkup surveys illustrated that blood pressure decreased in all age groups during the second survey period. However, the body mass index increased in patients aged 50 years or more. Fasting blood glucose levels of patients aged 30-79 years and non-HDL cholesterol levels of patients aged 50-79 years significantly increased. In Miyakojima, the incidence of first-time stroke and all of its subtypes did not change significantly between two periods, even though blood pressure decreased significantly in the second period. Metabolic deterioration may be associated with the upward trend in incidence of brain infarction.

Using an age-based lens to test the antecedents of value in retail

Scholars agree that value creation is the core purpose of economic exchange and recent dialogue calls for research that extends its conceptualisation, especially with respect to factors that may enhance customer-perceived value. In parallel, an additional call for research recognises the growth in seniors segments, their increased longevity, disposable income and demands as consumers. This paper reports on a study that integrates these two areas. It identifies and compares the strength of the antecedents of overall value of retail outlets for three groups of mature consumers and a younger segment. Factors relating to store characteristics and customer characteristics were investigated with respect to pharmacies and department stores. Data were collected via cross-sectional field studies, using mall intercept (n = 193) and an online panel (n = 527).

Formative Versus Reflective Measurement: An Illustration Using Work–Family Balance

ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to propose the formative measurement approach that can be used in various constructs of applied psychology. To illustrate this approach, the authors will (a) discuss the distinction between commonly used principal-factor (reflective) measures in comparison to the composite (formative) latent variable model, which is often applied in other disciplines such as marketing or engineering, and (b) point out the advantages and limitations of formative specifications using the example of the work–family balance (WFB) construct. Data collected from 2 large cross-sectional field studies confirm the reliability and validity of formative WFB measures as well as its predictive value regarding criteria of WFB (i.e., job satisfaction, family satisfaction, and life satisfaction). Last, the specific informational value of each formative indicator will be demonstrated and discussed in terms of practical implications for the assessment in different psychological fields.

More than fair: Outcome dependence, system justification, and the perceived legitimacy of authority figures

Legitimacy is a source of power for authorities because it promotes voluntary deference on the part of followers. From a system justification perspective, there is also reason to believe that power is a source of perceived legitimacy. We report five studies demonstrating that in addition to procedural fairness and outcome favorability, outcome dependence is an independent contributor to perceived legitimacy. In two cross-sectional field studies and one panel study, we hypothesized and found that dependence on an authority figure is positively associated with appraisals of legitimacy, measured in terms of trust and confidence in, empowerment of, and deference to authority. These effects were demonstrated in educational, political, and legal settings. Two additional experiments provided direct causal evidence for the hypothesized effect on both perceived legitimacy and voluntary deference (i.e., acquiescence to additional requests). We also found that participants assigned to a high (vs. low) dependence condition judged their outcomes to be more favorable, despite the fact that the outcomes were identical in the two conditions; this effect was mediated by perceived legitimacy. Taken as a whole, these findings suggest that perceived legitimacy is enhanced not only when authorities exercise fair procedures and deliver favorable outcomes, but also when subordinates are dependent on them. Implications for society and the study of legitimacy and social power are discussed.

Experimental effect of positive urgency on negative outcomes from risk taking and on increased alcohol consumption.

The current pair of experimental studies sought to further validate the role of positive urgency (acting rashly when in an extreme positive emotional state) as a risk factor for impulsive and maladaptive behavior. Previous research has supported the use of emotion-based dispositions to rash action in predicting a wide range of maladaptive acts. However, that research was conducted in the field and relied on self-reported behavior, thus lacking tight experimental controls and direct observation of risky behaviors. In the 2 experimental studies described here, we found that among college students (1) positive urgency significantly predicted negative outcomes on a risk-taking task following a positive mood manipulation (n = 94), and (2) positive urgency significantly predicted increases in beer consumption following positive mood induction (n = 33). Positive urgency's role was above and beyond previously identified risk factors; these findings, combined with prior cross-sectional and longitudinal field studies, provide support for the role of positive urgency in rash action.

Cooperating when “you” and “I” are treated fairly: The moderating role of leader prototypicality.

We developed a model predicting that leaders are most effective in stimulating follower cooperation when they consistently treat all group members in a fair manner and are prototypical (i.e., representative of the group's values and norms). In support of this idea, we consistently found that group members cooperated most when prototypical leaders treated themselves as well as their coworkers fairly across a laboratory experiment and 3 cross-sectional field studies. These findings highlight the important role of others' fairness experiences and perceptions in influencing one's own reactions and also the role of leaders as representing the group's values and norms. We discuss implications for fairness theory and the leader prototypicality literature.

Emotional labor, strain, and performance: Testing reciprocal relationships in a longitudinal panel study.

Models of emotional labor suggest that emotional labor leads to strain and affects job performance. Although the link between emotional labor, strain, and performance has been well documented in cross-sectional field studies, not much is known about the causal direction of relationships between emotional labor, strain, and performance. Goal of the present study was therefore to test the direction of effects in a two-wave longitudinal panel study using a sample of 151 trainee teachers. Longitudinal lagged effects were tested using structural equation modeling. Results revealed that the emotional labor strategy of surface acting led to increases in subsequent strain while deep acting led to increases in job performance. In contrast, there was no indication of reverse causation: Neither strain nor job performance had a significant lagged effect on subsequent surface or deep acting. Overall, results support models of emotional labor suggesting that surface and deep acting causally precede individual and organizational well-being.

Relatiekwaliteit als moderator in de relatie tussen procedurele rechtvaardigheid en reacties op feedback in prestatiebeoordeling

Supervisor-subordinate relationship quality as a moderator in the relationship between procedural justice and feedback reactions in performance appraisal Supervisor-subordinate relationship quality as a moderator in the relationship between procedural justice and feedback reactions in performance appraisal M. Feys, N. Libbrecht, F. Anseel & F. Lievens, Gedrag & Organisatie, volume 21, November 2008, nr. 4, pp. 430-450 In this study, we examined the influence of supervisor-subordinate relationship quality and employees' justice perceptions on feedback reactions. Based on organisational justice theory, however, we expect that the effect of justice on feedback reactions is moderated by relationship quality. We examined this hypothesis in two cross-sectional field studies (N = 219 and N = 83) using two different types of performance appraisal. The results support the hypothesis and suggest that there is an interaction effect between relationship quality and justice with acceptance of feedback being highest when one of both antecedent factors was favourable. These insights can offer organisations concrete strategies for stimulating employee development through feedback.

The impact of visual factors on noise annoyance among people living in the vicinity of wind turbines

Wind turbines are highly visible objects and the response to wind turbine noise is possibly influenced by visual factors. In this study, visibility of the noise source, visual attitude and vertical visual angle (VVA) in different landscapes were explored. Data from two cross-sectional field studies carried out among people living near wind turbines ( n=1095) were used for structural equation modelling. A proposed model of the influence of visual attitude on noise annoyance, also comprising the influence of noise level and general attitude, was tested among respondents who could see vs. respondents who could not see wind turbines from their homes, living in flat vs. hilly/rocky terrain, and living in built-up vs. rural areas. Visual attitude towards the noise source was associated with noise annoyance to different degrees in different situations. A negative visual attitude, more than multi-modal effects between auditory and visual stimulation, enhanced the risk for noise annoyance and possibly also prevented psychophysiological restoration possibilities. Aesthetic evaluations of the noise source should be taken into account when exploring response to environmental noise.

Behavioral research opportunities: Understanding the impact of enterprise systems

Over the past ten years, many organizations, both large and small, have implemented enterprise resource planning systems or enterprise systems. The motivation behind these investments is to improve organizational efficiency, effectiveness, and ultimately performance. Underlying the expectation of performance increases is the belief that information can be captured and disseminated throughout the organization more quickly to help individuals do their jobs better by making better decisions. While the return on these investments is certainly expected, understanding how both the organization and individuals within these organizations are affected and how the benefits will actually materialize from an interorganizational perspective has received little attention. The purpose of this discussion is to highlight the largely ignored behavioral impacts of enterprise systems implementation and integration and to suggest ways to improve the validity and generalizability of field research through method triangulation. This discussion advocates that the contemporary enterprise systems research could learn much from the management accounting research discipline as it searches for greater meaning and rigor in its research approaches. Specifically, this paper suggests that future research on enterprise systems should include (1) experimentation that focuses primarily on judgment and decision making at the individual level and improvements in organizational performance, and (2) triangulation methods that integrate case research, surveys, and cross-sectional field studies.

Cross-Sectional Field Studies in Management Accounting Research—Closing the Gaps between Surveys and Case Studies

While empirical researchers in management accounting frequently address overlapping research issues using a variety of methods, there is little evidence of productive dialogue addressing the uncertainties and ambiguities raised within each stream of research. For example, survey researchers frequently call for deeper field-based insights into conflicting or ambiguous findings. Case study researchers convey rich organizational stories of management accounting in context. However, these field-based findings are rarely used to resolve the ambiguity in construct definition, measurement, and inter-relationships that plague our empirical research bases. In this paper we seek to regenerate interest in a method that has been implemented in the past to promote productive field-based dialogue on issues related to complex constructs and their interrelationships. The method is best illustrated by the cross-sectional field study approach adopted by Merchant and Manzoni (1989) to study budget target achievability. By considering the Merchant and Manzoni (1989) study as well as two other examples (Bruns and McKinnon 1993; Abernethy and Lillis 1995) we identify the range of questions suited to this method and how the method contributes significant insights to the management accounting literature. We also articulate the design attributes of cross-sectional field studies by explicitly linking the rationale for these studies with the complexity of the phenomenon under study, sampling logic, instrument design, and data analysis protocols. The insights produced from the relatively few published studies using a cross-sectional field study method suggest that opportunities for the application of this method may be underexploited.