Differences In Individual Characteristics Research Articles

Relative Importance of Positive Aging Dimensions Among Latino Older Adults and Service Providers

The variation in Latino older adults’ conceptualizations of positive aging across studies suggests greater attention should be paid to within-group factors. The purpose of the current study was to identify which factors are important to positive aging from the perspective of Latino older adults, and whether the importance of these factors varied based on participant characteristics. A second aim of this study was to examine whether there are differences in views of successful aging between Latino older adults and service providers who support aging Latinos. The current study was conducted as part of a broader research project investigating Latino older adults’ perceptions of positive aging. Latino older adults (n = 93) and aging services providers (n = 45) rated the importance of a series of statements related to positive aging. Mixed-methods analysis of the statements identified nine distinct dimensions (Positive Outlook, Spirituality/Religion, Healthy Behaviors, Independence, Self-Care, Support for Others, Social Support, Leisure Activities, and Adaptability). Latino older adults rated Positive Outlook and Spirituality highest on importance, and ratings differed based on gender and other individual difference characteristics. For example, men placed greater relative importance on Independence and Support for Others compared to women, and younger participants rated Independence higher on importance compared to older participants. In addition, Latino older adults (vs. providers) placed greater importance on all aspects of positive aging, with greatest mean differences related to providing Support for Others and Spirituality. These findings have implications for wellness programs for Latino older adults and training for service providers.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Aptitude Alignment Job Role Study (JRS) for Travel Document Checker (TDC) Position

The current study investigated individual differences and their relationship to performance while fulfilling the Travel Document Checker job role at security screening checkpoints. It is part of a larger effort to understand variability in performance across different job roles that Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) routinely fulfill. Vigilance, task-focused coping and avoidance-focused coping explained the most variance in counterfeit detection. Future efforts should validate these findings and determine individual difference characteristics that are meaningful predictors of performance across other checkpoint job roles.

Assessing and decomposing gender differences in evaluative and emotional well-being among older adults in the developing world

Using data from the World Health Organization’s Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE), we evaluate the relationship between gender and several measures of subjective well-being among older adults in developing countries. Furthermore, we contrast the partial associations of gender with these well-being measures when controlling only for age (age-adjusted analyses) with the corresponding partial associations when including individual characteristics and life circumstances as controls (multivariable-adjusted analyses). While age-adjusted analyses reveal that older women have lower levels of evaluative well-being than older men, multivariable-adjusted analyses show that - given similar life circumstances - they have equal or slightly higher evaluative well-being. This suggests that the gender gap in evaluative well-being may be explained by less favorable life circumstances of older women. Age-adjusted results also show that older women tend to have lower levels of emotional well-being. However, we find no reversal, but merely an attenuation of these gender differences in emotional well-being when controlling for additional individual characteristics and life circumstances. Finally, we perform Oaxaca-Blinder decompositions to disaggregate the gender gaps in well-being into explained parts - attributable to gender differences in individual characteristics and life circumstances - and unexplained parts - related to gender differences in the association between life circumstances and subjective well-being. These results further corroborate our findings that women tend to be disadvantaged in terms of both evaluative and emotional well-being, and that this disadvantage is mostly driven by observable factors related to the explained part of the decomposition, such as gender differences in socio-economic status and health.

Healthy, Wealthy, Wise, and Happy? Assessing Age Differences in Evaluative and Emotional Well-Being Among Mature Adults from Five Low- and Middle-Income Countries

This study assesses the relationship between age and two dimensions of subjective well-being—evaluative and emotional—among mature adults from five low-and middle-income countries. We use data from the World Health Organization’s Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health to contrast the associations of age with subjective well-being when controlling only for gender with the corresponding partial associations when including a richer set of covariates. Adjusting only for gender, we find negative associations of age with evaluative well-being, while the corresponding age gradients for emotional well-being are relatively flat. By contrast, adjusting for further socio-demographic factors results in positive associations of age with both evaluative and emotional well-being. Oaxaca-Blinder decompositions allow us to explore the roles of two factors to account for any unadjusted age differences in subjective well-being: age-group differences in individual characteristics and life circumstances, and age-specific associations of individual characteristics and life circumstances with subjective well-being. While adverse circumstances such as poor health and low income contribute to lower levels of evaluative well-being among older adults, age per se is—ceteris paribus—positively associated with subjective well-being. Even in poorer countries, older age does not need to be a time of low subjective well-being. Policies aimed at preserving income and limiting or compensating old-age disability appear to be key for maintaining subjective well-being among older adults.

Development and validation of the Multidimensional Internally Regulated Eating Scale (MIRES).

In this paper, we describe the systematic development and validation of the Multidimensional Internally Regulated Eating Scale (MIRES), a new self-report instrument that quantifies the individual-difference characteristics that together shape the inclination towards eating in response to internal bodily sensations of hunger and satiation (i.e., internally regulated eating style). MIRES is a 21-item scale consisting of seven subscales, which have high internal consistency and adequate to high two-week temporal stability. The MIRES model, as tested in community samples from the UK and US, had a very good fit to the data both at the level of individual subscales, but also as a higher-order formative model. High and significant correlations with measures of intuitive eating and eating competence lent support to the convergent validity of MIRES, while its incremental validity in relation to these measures was also upheld. MIRES as a formative construct, as well as all individual subscales, correlated negatively with eating disorder symptomatology and weight-related measures (e.g., BMI, weight cycling) and positively with adaptive behavioral and psychological outcomes (e.g., proactive coping, body appreciation, life satisfaction), supporting the criterion validity of the scale. This endeavor has resulted in a reliable and valid instrument to be used for the thorough assessment of the features that synthesize the profile of those who tend to regulate their eating internally.

The racial/ethnic gap in financial literacy in the population and by income

AbstractWe investigate the determinants of the racial/ethnic gap in financial literacy in the general population and within income classes, with a focus on childhood family circumstances and neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics. Our model explains 48% and 57% of the observed gap for Blacks and Hispanics, respectively. For both groups, differences in individual characteristics and neighborhood socioeconomic status contribute the most to the explained gap. The White–Minority gap narrows when moving from low‐ to high‐income classes, but the ability of the model to explain it decreases monotonically. Identifying which additional barriers put minorities at a disadvantage is key to improve financial literacy.

Trajectories of multiple subjective well-being facets across old age: The role of health and personality.

Subjective well-being is often characterized by average stability across old age, but individual differences are substantial and not yet fully understood. This study targets physical and cognitive health and personality as individual difference characteristics and examines their unique and interactive roles for level and change in a number of different facets of subjective well-being. We make use of medical diagnoses, performance-based indicators of physical (grip strength) and cognitive functioning (Digit Symbol), and extraversion and neuroticism and apply parallel sets of multilevel growth models to multiyear well-being data obtained in the Berlin Aging Study 2 (N = 1,216; Mage = 71; SD = 3.84; 51% women) and the German Socio-Economic Panel (N = 3,418; Mage = 70; SD = 6.89; 51% women). Results revealed by and large average stability of life satisfaction, morale, and emotions (anger, fear, sadness, happiness) across old age. Most important for our research questions, higher morbidity, poor performance on grip strength and perceptual speed tests, lower extraversion, and higher neuroticism were each uniquely associated with lower life satisfaction, morale, and positive affect and higher negative affect. Some evidence emerged for facet-specific health-personality interaction effects in predicting affective experiences, but effects observed were not consistent across studies and of small size. We take our findings to indicate that health and personality traits constitute important individual difference characteristics for our understanding of subjective well-being in old age and that these likely do not interact with one another to shape well-being. We discuss theoretical and practical implications. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Variety, Volatility, Intensity: Understanding Key Characteristics of Individual Learner Differences

Individual Learner Differences (ILDs), such as motivation, anxiety, and willingness to communicate, account for varying rates and extents of successful L2 learning. Traditional quantitative approaches to studying ILDs render constructs to a one-size-fits-all explanation of factors and relationships that affect learning outcomes. A Complex Dynamic Systems Theory approach to studying ILDs rectifies this situation and supports teachers by investigating the interrelated, variable, and situated aspects of ILDs. In this study, students selected ILDs that most impacted their partner’s classroom participation. They then used idiodynamic methodology, a relatively new research method, to elicit factors that influenced changes to their partner’s ILDs in class. Unexpected constructs, such as concentration, happiness, and anger, were chosen. Within those ILDs, a wide range of volatility and intensity of change was reported. Internal-, linguistic-, topic-, social-, and stage-of-the task-factors initiated chains-of-events leading to variations in ILD constructs. Implications for pedagogy and further research are discussed. 第二言語学習者の学習速度や到達レベルの違いは、モチベーション、不安感、話をしたいという意欲の様な「学習者の個人差」に起因する。従来の個人差を研究する定量的アプローチでは、学習結果に影響を与える要因や関連性について画一的な説明であったが「複雑ダイナミックシステム理論」の導入によって、複雑な相互関係や変動性、直面している要素等を複合的に調査できる様になった。本研究において、学生は、活動相手の従業参加に最も影響を与えた個人差の要素を自身で選択した後、その要因を導き出す為に、新しい研究法である「イディオダイナミック法」を使用した。その結果、集中力、幸福感、怒りの様な想定外の要素が選択され、変化の頻度や起伏の浮き沈みが広範囲に及ぶ事も判明した。内面的、言語的、トピックや社会的な要素、タスクの進度状況等の要素が一連の出来事に起因し、学習者の様々な個人差の構成に影響を与えた。本論文では教授法や更なる研究結果も述べる。

Learning from Presidential Debates: Who Learns the Most and Why?

ABSTRACT Perhaps one of the most well-established findings stemming from decades of research exploring the effects of televised presidential debates is that exposure to this “information-rich” source of campaign communication enables viewers’ acquisition of issue knowledge. However, certain individuals will benefit more from the debate viewing experience because differences in individual characteristics allow some to learn more than others. In this quasi-experimental study, we test whether those with more pre-debate knowledge, political information efficacy, and need for cognition gain more information from debate viewing. In so doing, we clarify the mechanisms that underlie information acquisition from debates and consider the boundary conditions that constrain debate learning. The findings provide more nuance to our understanding of the mechanisms behind the learning of political knowledge from televised candidate debates.

When IT Professionals Choose Nonstandard Work: The Fit between Individuals and Work Arrangements

As organizations face the reality of rapidly evolving technology and the labor shortage of IT professionals, the externalization of their IT workforce is a viable way to handle IT costs and human capital needs. This workforce externalization increasingly is providing IT professionals with various alternatives to standard work arrangements, i.e., nonstandard work arrangements (NSWAs) such as independent contracting, remote work, and contract firm work. While the NSWA literature has shown that voluntarily choosing such arrangements relates to positive work-related outcomes, not much is known about the mechanism behind an individual’s voluntary pursuit of a nonstandard rather than a standard work arrangement, or of one type of NSWA over another. In this study, we use person-environment (P-E) fit as a theoretical framework to provide an explanation for voluntary choice of various NSWAs. Specifically, we draw connections between a variety of individual difference characteristics and the work arrangement characteristics of some of the most prevalent NSWAs for IT professionals in the United States, highlighting the important role of personality variables and individual needs in work arrangement choices. Our conceptual framework provides a new understanding of volitional choice of NSWAs. It may serve as a blueprint for future NSWA research as well as for recruiting and selection tactics for organizations utilizing nonstandard workers.

The Differences of Individual Characteristics and Working Environment That Influence Job Stress on Female and Male Workers at Pt. X Sidoarjo (Using Gender Prespective)

Job stress can be defined as a dangerous physical and emotional response that occurs when work requirements are not matched with our own ability, resources, or needs of the workers. Job stress needs special attention by the company because it relates a worker individual’s health and affects operational continuity of the company’s production. The risk factors as the cause of job stress on female and male workers in PT. X are related to the characteristics and the perceptions of a work environment. The purpose of this research is to examine the individual characteristics and perceptions of the working environment that affects the incidence of job stress on female and male workers. This type of research is observational by designing cross-sectional research with the number of respondents as many as 50 people. The independent variables in this study included age, education, employment, marital status, noise, lighting as well as temperature. Dependent variable was job stress on female and male workers in PT. X. Female workers at PT. X experienced 32% of job stress and 20% of male workers. The results of logistic regression analysis obtains a significant influence of working time with job stress (P=0.027) as well as noise with job stress (P=0.017) on female workers. Male workers are significant to the job stress namely age (P=0.011), working period (P=0.030) as well as lighting (P=0.005). Advice for job-stress workers to take a leave, using personal protective equipment to reduce the risk of working environment. The company provides leave permits for workers and periodically performs work rotation.

Gender differences in financial knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors: Accounting for socioeconomic disparities and psychological traits

AbstractA large body of international research finds a persistent gender gap in the financial literacy of women compared to men, but explanations for this gap remain a topic of active debate. In this observational study, we explore the explanatory value of psychological characteristics, in addition to demographic variables and roles in household financial decision making. We begin by documenting the expected gender differences in financial knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, using a national survey of adult Canadians (n = 21,789) that provides population‐level estimates. Next, we contrast these results against a second Canadian survey data set (n = 3,502) where we are able to control for individual differences in psychological traits. Results of OLS regressions suggest that gender is not a significant predictor on three scales of financial capability. Decomposition analysis finds underlying differences in individual characteristics (endowments) explain the majority of the observed gender gap in financial literacy when psychological traits are included in the model.

Goats' Performance in Unsolvable Tasks Is Predicted by Their Reactivity Toward Humans, but Not Social Rank.

In order to clarify the ability of animals to communicate with humans, it is necessary to examine the behaviors of animals directed at humans, taking into account individual differences. This study investigated whether the behaviors of goats (Capra hircus) can be predicted when given an unsolvable task. Two experiments were performed in a paddock using 16 domesticated goats. In Experiment 1, behavioral tests were conducted to determine the goats’ social rank and reactivity toward a stranger. In Experiment 2, the goats’ behaviors in an unsolvable task and two control conditions in which either only a human or bucket was presented were examined. The behaviors of the goats were video-recorded and compared between the conditions. Then, we examined whether the behaviors of goats in the presence of both the human and unsolvable task can be predicted from the scores for social rank and reactivity toward humans. Compared with the control conditions, the goats increased physical contact with the human, but did not increase gazing. It is possible that differences in individual characteristics and long-term experiences with humans can lead to differences in human-directed behaviors of animals. Although the social rank order of the goats was clearly linear, there was no correlation between their behaviors in the unsolvable task and their social rank. The goats that tended to interact with the stranger in Experiment 1 were more likely to approach and establish contact with the human in the unsolvable task than goats that reacted more averse toward humans. There was no association between the level of reactivity toward the stranger and the goats’ involvements in the unsolvable task. Therefore, it is possible that the goats which increased interactions with humans did not necessarily have low motivation to engage in unsolvable tasks, but relied on humans as a means of communication. In conclusion, the behavioral changes and its diversity as the responses toward short-term changes in the environment, such as the presence or absence of humans and unsolvable tasks, were related to differences in individual behavioral characteristics (i.e., reactivity toward humans).

Development of loneliness in midlife and old age: Its nature and correlates.

Research has long demonstrated that loneliness is a key risk factor for poor health. However, less is known about the development and predictors of loneliness across later adulthood. We examined these questions using two-wave data obtained 5 years apart in the population-based Norwegian NorLAG study (N = 5,555; age 40-80 years; 51% women). We considered direct measures of loneliness (asking directly about feeling lonely) and indirect measures (avoiding the term loneliness) and linked them to self-report data on personality and contact with friends, and to register data on socioeconomic (education, income, unemployment), physical health (sick leave, lifetime history of disability), and social factors (children, marriage/cohabitation, lifetime history of divorce and widowhood). Results indicated that levels of loneliness increased steadily for women, whereas men's levels followed a U-shaped curve, with highest loneliness at ages 40 and 80. At age 40, loneliness declined between the two data waves, but with increasing age the decrease abated and turned into increases when loneliness was measured indirectly. Disability, no spouse/cohabiting partner, widowhood, and little contact with friends were each associated with more loneliness. Similarly, people high in emotional stability and extraversion reported less loneliness and experienced steeper loneliness declines on one or both loneliness measures. We take our results to illustrate the utility of combining self-report and register data and conclude that the development of loneliness across the second half of life is associated with both individual difference characteristics and aspects of social embedding. We discuss possible mechanisms underlying our findings and consider practical implications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Multidimensional Poverty among Female Householders in Korea: Application of a Latent Class Model

In this work, we examine poverty among vulnerable Korean female householders using a multidimensional concept with six dimensions: money, health, housing, employment, human relations, and social security. Taking data from the “Korea Welfare Panel Study 2015” by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs and the Welfare Research Institute of Seoul National University, we apply latent class analysis to assess poverty among female householders using the Mplus8 software. The poverty indicator correlations are examined with Cramer’s V, and the differences in individual characteristics are analyzed through X2 and analysis of variance. The results show that the poor are composed of several groups with different characteristics. We divide the female householders into three main types, all likely to experience poverty in terms of money and employment. However, Type 1 shows a high probability of experiencing poverty in terms of money, employment, human relations, and health; when compared with Types 2 and 3, Type 1 poverty probability turns out to be higher for several indicators. Type 2 shows susceptibility to basic poverty, with a high probability of experiencing poverty in terms of money and employment. Lastly, Type 3 has a higher probability of health poverty than Types 1 and 2.

A Case-Mix System for Children and Youth With Developmental Disabilities.

Limited funding across health and social service programs presents a challenge regarding how to best match resources to the needs of the population. There is increasing consensus that differences in individual characteristics and care needs should be reflected in variations in service costs, which has led to the development of case-mix systems. The present study sought to develop a new approach to allocate resources among children and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) as part of a system-wide Medicaid payment reform initiative in Arkansas. To develop the system, assessment data collected using the interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health-Developmental Disability instrument was matched to paid service claims. The sample consisted of 346 children and youth with developmental disabilities in the home setting. Using automatic interactions detection, individuals were sorted into unique, clinically relevant groups (ie, based on similar resource use) and a standardized relative measure of the cost of services provided to each group was calculated. The resulting case-mix system has 8 distinct, final groups and explains 30% of the variance in per diem costs. Our analyses indicate that this case-mix classification system could provide the foundation for a future prospective payment system that is centered around stability and equitability in the allocation of limited resources within this vulnerable population.

Brain executive laterality and hemisity.

Brain laterality refers to the asymmetric location of functional elements within the bilateral brain of animals and humans. Thus far, five lateralized functions have been recognized in humans: handedness, language ability, spatial skills, facial recognition, and emotion recognition. Recently, a sixth asymmetric functional element bearing on personality has been discovered. It is the larger side of the split bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). This appears to be the final output element of the executive system of which, by logic, there can be only one. Which side is somewhat larger varies among the general population in a seemingly idiosyncratic manner, yet with a genetic basis because true-breeding lineages exist. Here, hemisity is binary measure where a person is inherently born either right brain or left brain oriented. This is determined by nine statistically robust sets of four biophysical tests, none of which depend upon personality, and five behavioral questionnaires. Crucially these hemisity methods have been validated by the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-based discovery that the larger side of the ACC is on the same side as one's hemisity, making MRI the primary standard for hemisity determination (r = 0.96). There are at least 30 measurable differences in individual characteristics and behaviors between those persons whose hemsity is on the right compared to those with it on the left. The hemisity of 2929 individuals was determined by these methods. Large groups included 1428 junior and senior high schools students both in Hawaii and Utah. There were somewhat comparable numbers present for both types of hemisity. Hemisity of individuals was found stable from infancy to old age. There was no relation between hemisity and handedness. Larger corpus callosum (CC) size of male or female subjects was larger in right brainer that in left brainers. Twin studies demonstrate that CC size is inherited. Thirty-eight percent of individuals of both sexes were right brain oriented, while 62% of individuals of both sexes were left brain oriented. In pairings, there were more than twice as many couples with opposite hemisity. Of these couples, the right brain male and females were dominant. Reproductive outcomes of these were "Like father like son, Like mother like daughter."

Understanding Distress: An Examination of the Role of Stereotype Threat in Vigilance Tasks

Vigilance tasks are known to be stressful and highly practical tasks present in many workplace environments. Research has examined ways to alleviate this stress but has often failed to include individual difference characteristics that might increase stress. The current research examined potential gender differences in stress after completing a vigilance task. Participants completed a questionnaire pre- and post-task measuring worry, engagement, and distress (Matthews et al., 1999) for a vigilance task. Results showed that women reported more distress after the vigilance task when reminded of a negative stereotype about their gender. Results are discussed in terms of practical implications for research examining distress during vigilance tasks, as well as considerations for future research.

Effect of Individual Characteristics on Perception of Usability and Perception of Ease in Use of Mobile Commerce

This research study discusses the differences in individual characteristics associated through the use of mobile commerce with the perception of usefulness (Usefulness) and perceptions of convenience (Easy to Use) by converting the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) model developed by Davis in 1989. The research was conducted at the Faculty of Economics and Business Universitas Brawijaya Malang using the survey method. The researcher received a response of 35 accounting students who used mobile commerce services. The researcher used the SPSS Software application to study the research data. This study uses the Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) test. The results of the analysis for this model reveal the use of mobile commerce services there are individual level differences in the use of m-commerce (perceptions of usability and perceived ease) in each individual category of respondents' characteristics (Age, Gender, Innovation). The implications of this study are relevant to management and system analysis for benefit factors and consider the use of use in using and developing mobile commerce transactions.

RELEVANSI PENDEKATAN PEMBELAJARAN TEMATIK INTEGRATIF DI SD/MI DENGAN KONSEP MADRASAH/SEKOLAH RAMAH ANAK

Thematic learning approaches have been implemented since the KTSP curriculum was established in 2006. The implementation of thematic learning approaches then undergone improvements in the 2013 curriculum. Thematic learning approaches that were originally applied using web models or netted, were refined into integrated or integrated models. An integrative thematic model was chosen because it was predicted to be able to accommodate and touch in an integrated manner all the emotional, physical, and academic dimensions of SD / MI students both in the classroom or in the school environment. The implementation of an integrative thematic approach in learning opens up opportunities for teachers to develop the most appropriate strategies and methodologies. Teachers are required to be more creative in presenting a learning atmosphere that leads students to be able to understand the reality of life they live every day, in other words, integrative thematic learning models are relevant to accommodate differences in individual characteristics and learning environments of students. The superiority of the integrative thematic learning model described above basically corresponds to the child-friendly school/madrasah model which is jurisdictionally regulated in the Regulation of the State Minister for Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Number 8 of 2014. To analyze the relevance of integrative thematic learning models with school models child friendly, this study needs to be done Keywords: Integrative Thematic, Child-Friendly School