Role Of Individual Variables Research Articles

The role of individual variables as antecedents of entrepreneurship processes: Emotional intelligence and self-efficacy.

Currently, entrepreneurship is a priority for economic, social, and technological growth. Therefore, the interest in understanding entrepreneurship processes has increased significantly. Individual variables play a fundamental role, and academic research has pointed out the influence of emotional intelligence in entrepreneurial processes; however, its relationship with other interpersonal processes and individual variables, such as personality and self-efficacy, has not been extensively studied. The aim of this research was to analyze the relationship among emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial intention, controlling for the effects of personality, gender, and age. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses were applied through a questionnaire survey of 1,593 college students to test the relationship between the constructs in the model. The results show that the personality traits are associated with entrepreneurial self-efficacy, emotional intelligence positively influences entrepreneurial intention, and self-efficacy mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and entrepreneurial intention. Practical implications for training programs are examined, and future lines of research were discussed.

A Systematic Review Exploring Variables Related to Bystander Intervention in Sexual Violence Contexts

This article presents a systematic review of the available literature which has investigated the role of key variables in facilitating or inhibiting bystander intervention (including direct intervention, tertiary and secondary prevention) in sexual violence (SV) contexts. Studies exploring the role of individual, situational and contextual variables were grouped to provide a narrative overview of bystanders’ personal characteristics as well as the immediate and wider contexts which may be influencing their bystander behaviour. A systematic search of published literature from four electronic databases identified 2526 articles that were screened, of which 85 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies focused upon the role of individual variables, in particular gender of bystander. This body of work finds females are more likely to intervene than males; however, not all studies report these differences and in some cases, this is influenced by the type of intervention behaviour being considered. Regarding situational variables, the most commonly researched variable was the presence of other bystanders, although the role of this variable as inhibiting or facilitating was not clear. Finally, the most commonly researched contextual variable was social norms towards intervention, which has consistently shown greater bystander intervention when there is a belief that peers support such behaviour. Very few studies considered the interaction between these variables. Therefore, it is important for future research to consider this gap in the literature so that we can obtain a more well-rounded understanding of variables that can inhibit and facilitate bystander intervention in SV contexts.

The influence of classroom seating arrangement on children's cognitive processes in primary school: the role of individual variables.

To date, despite the great debate regarding the best seating arrangement for learning in classrooms, no empirical studies have examined the direct effects of different seating arrangements on children’s cognitive processes. This is particularly important nowadays that the COVID-19 measures include maintaining distance in the classroom. Aim of this study was experimentally investigating the effect of changing the seating arrangement (clusters vs. single desks), on logical reasoning, creativity and theory of mind, in children attending primary school. Furthermore, some individual characteristics (e.g., gender, loneliness, popularity) were analysed as potential moderators. Results on 77 participants showed that, when children were seated in single desks, their score in logical reasoning was globally higher. Furthermore, when seated in single desks, girls showed a better performance in the theory of mind, and lonelier children performed better in theory of mind and creativity. This on field experimental study suggests the importance of considering both the nature of the task and children’s individual characteristics when deciding on a seating arrangement in the classroom.

Quality of Life in the COVID-19 Pandemic in India: Exploring the Role of Individual and Group Variables.

The role of individual variables (COVID-19 anxiety, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, optimistic bias and personal identity) as predictors of quality of life (QoL) during the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic is explored. Impact of group related variables (identification to family, religious group and nation) on QoL is also examined. Sample comprised 305 male and female Indian respondents, aged 18 to 78 years. Standardized measures have been utilised to assess the constructs. Results revealed that QoL was significantly influenced by individual variables (COVID-19 anxiety and personal identity) and group variables (identification with family and nation). The effect of COVID-19 anxiety and personal identity as individual variables is over and above that of demographic variables on QoL. Group variables (family and national identification) significantly impacted QoL over and above the individual variables. Findings would indeed, aid in the rehabilitation and assistance of people to live in COVID-19 crisis, and thereafter.

Individual Variables Involved in Perceived Pressure for Adolescent Drinking.

Adolescence is a stage when individuals are especially vulnerable to the influence of their peer group, which could lead to the development of problematic behavior, such as drinking alcohol, due to perceived pressure. The objective of this study was to analyze the role of self-esteem, impulsivity, anxiety sensitivity and expectations for use under perceived pressure to drink alcohol among young people. Methods: The sample was made up of 1287 high school students aged 14 to 18, with a mean age of 15.11. The Bayes factor and mediation models were estimated to evaluate the data. Results: The results showed the existence of a positive relationship of impulsivity, anxiety sensitivity and expectations for use with perceived pressure. However, this relationship was negative with self-esteem and perception of pressure to drink alcohol. Furthermore, the model results showed that self-esteem mediates the relationship between physical, cognitive and social anxiety sensitivity and positive expectations with perceived pressure to drink alcohol in adolescence. Conclusions: Given the strong need for affiliation during youth, it is hard to control grouping and peer influence on drinking behavior. However, knowledge of the role of individual variables, such as those described here, in perceived pressure could improve the prevention and intervention of such behaviors.

Predicting CQ Development in the Context of Experiential Cross-Cultural Training: The Role of Social Dominance Orientation and the Propensity to Change Stereotypes

With increasing globalization and multicultural diversity comes a need for better understanding of the factors that predict cultural intelligence (CQ) development. Previous literature identifies cross-cultural contact and experiential contact-based training as effective in CQ development; however, individuals differ in their propensity to engage in and benefit from intergroup contact. Drawing on social dominance theory research and cultural learning models, I examine the relationships between individual social dominance orientation (SDO), the propensity to change stereotypes, and CQ development in the context of experiential cross-cultural training involving contact with a culturally different group. A pre- and postdesign study conducted among 122 postgraduate students demonstrated that SDO is directly and negatively related to the propensity to change stereotypes and indirectly and negatively related to CQ development following contact-based training. The propensity to change stereotypes mediated the negative relationship between SDO and CQ development. My findings here suggest that socially dominant individuals are less likely to benefit from experiential contact-based cross-cultural training; on the other hand, individuals with greater propensity to change stereotypes are likely to develop greater CQ. Education and training professionals should carefully consider the role of individual variables in CQ development and experiential cross-cultural training.

The Role of Individual Variables, Organizational Variables and Moral Intensity Dimensions in Libyan Management Accountants’ Ethical Decision Making

This study investigates the association of a broad set of variables with the ethical decision making of management accountants in Libya. Adopting a cross-sectional methodology, a questionnaire including four different ethical scenarios was used to gather data from 229 participants. For each scenario, ethical decision making was examined in terms of the recognition, judgment and intention stages of Rest’s model. A significant relationship was found between ethical recognition and ethical judgment and also between ethical judgment and ethical intention, but ethical recognition did not significantly predict ethical intention—thus providing support for Rest’s model. Organizational variables, age and educational level yielded few significant results. The lack of significance for codes of ethics might reflect their relative lack of development in Libya, in which case Libyan companies should pay attention to their content and how they are supported, especially in the light of the under-development of the accounting profession in Libya. Few significant results were also found for gender, but where they were found, males showed more ethical characteristics than females. This unusual result reinforces the dangers of gender stereotyping in business. Personal moral philosophy and moral intensity dimensions were generally found to be significant predictors of the three stages of ethical decision making studied. One implication of this is to give more attention to ethics in accounting education, making the connections between accounting practice and (in Libya) Islam. Overall, this study not only adds to the available empirical evidence on factors affecting ethical decision making, notably examining three stages of Rest’s model, but also offers rare insights into the ethical views of practising management accountants and provides a benchmark for future studies of ethical decision making in Muslim majority countries and other parts of the developing world.

Assessing the Role of Individual Variables in Determining the Research and Development Engineers’ Creativity - A Study in Electrical and Electronics Industry

This study examined the direct effect of individual variables (self-esteem, creative self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation) on the Research and Development (R&D) engineers’ creativity. The data were analysed based on questionnaires returned by 130 R&D engineers attached to fifteen Electrical and Electronic (E&E) firms with R&D department in Penang, Malaysia. The convenience sampling method was employed in getting the samples. The results posited that all individual variables were positively related to R&D engineers’ creativity. The results also reported that there is no significant difference in R&D engineers’ creativity between contract employment type and permanent employment type. The theoretical and practical implications of the study as well as suggestion for future studies were also discussed.

Drug studies in developing countries.

One of the common features of "developing countries" in terms of pharmaceuticals is the lack of ability to generate independently the drugs that they need. These countries have to rely primarily upon products researched and developed by the pharmaceutical industry of richer countries -- indeed, generics are often produced and used in the developing countries when proprietary compounds outrun their patent restrictions. This dependency has vast repercussions, but here we will focus only on the clinical end of the spectrum. With few exceptions, drugs are researched and developed by the pharmaceutical industry of industrialized countries for the diseases prevalent in those countries, and their profiles are tailored to their own customers, including dosage, acceptability, and -- not least -- pricing. Therefore, the problem to be faced is the availability of the right drug, or even any drug at all, in developing countries. The western pharmaceutical industry has produced only a negligible number of so-called "orphan drugs" for tropical or "neglected" diseases (Trouiller P, Olliaro P. Drug development output: what proportion for tropical diseases? Lancet, 1999, 354 (9173): 164). There are other ramifications as well. Several regulatory authorities in developing countries do not have a system to deal with new chemical entities, as only products that have been developed, reviewed and registered elsewhere are considered. Local regulations may require a clinical trial to be repeated in a developing country when a new compound is submitted for marketing authorization. Thus, clinical researchers often do only studies of secondary importance and limited scientific interest on drugs that have been already researched. We believe that such an approach is inadequate. Ethical aspects related to research in the tropical world should not be forgotten, though they have no easy solution. Fortunately, there are some notable exceptions in the field of research into tropical and other diseases: China, India, Malaysia and Thailand, for instance, have been contributing pivotal studies of drugs for malaria and leishmaniasis with undeviating commitment. In addition to providing meaningful information on drug efficacy and safety, a drug's pharmaceutical development project should also provide prescribing information so that the drug is used in an optimal manner. In this respect, it is becoming increasingly obvious that not all individuals respond uniformly to drugs and that ethnic variability necessitates better-adapted treatment recommendations (Wood AJ, Zhou HH. Ethnic differences in drug disposition and responsiveness. Clinical Pharmacokinetics, 1992, 70: 350-373; Lang CC et al. Attenuation of isoproteronol-mediated vasodilatation in blacks. New England Journal of Medicine, 1995, 333: 155-160). The use of a population approach to pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics is growing in modern pharmacology, in order to consider these differences between population subgroups and to provide information that will generate guidelines for individualizing dose regimens. Traditionally, the role of individual variables has been underestimated, and a drug's development programme that deals properly with dose adaptation based on, for example, ethnic differences in metabolism or mean body weight is very much needed. We believe that developing countries do not need to conduct small clinical trials to duplicate information that already exists on drugs which are being considered for registration. …

Current status of pharmacological and behavioral treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder

Behavioral and pharmacological treatment outcome studies of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are reviewed, and a synthesis of findings regarding posttreatment response and durability of treatment effects is offered. An analysis of differential treatment response rates is presented within the context of drop-out and relapse rates. In addition, the role of individual variables and the presence of comorbid conditions are discussed in relation to outcome. Although both drug and behavioral treatments are efficacious, within the confines of limitations in currently available research, it appears that behavioral treatment incorporating exposure (flooding) and response prevention produces the larger response rates, particularly when relapse and drop-out rates are considered. However, the measurement strategies employed by the two literatures have differed considerably, and these issues are highlighted. Finally, based on the extant literature, critical needs for future drug and behavioral studies are noted.

Savings and Loan Demand for Liquid Assets: Theory, Evidence and Implications for Policy*

In this study a model of liquid asset management for individual savings and loan associations is developed. The model combines features of portfolio theory and inventory theory and is used to draw hypotheses on the relationship between the demand for excess liquidity and a variety of independent variables.Pooled cross section‐time series equations are estimated for the demand for excess liquidity of 198 S & Ls over the period 1974–1978. In addition to conclusions on the role of individual variables, the estimated equations reveal that the FHLBB can affect the portfolios of some, but not all, S & Ls. This implies that FHLBB liquidity policy can have an effect on the mortgage market.

Some Limitations to the Classroom Applications of Current Second Language Acquisition Research

Second language acquisition research is still in its infancy, and hasty pedagogical applications should not be made on the basis of its findings. Among the limitations of current research are the following: (1) the restricted linguistic scope of studies to date, (2) lack of data on cognitive processes and learning strategies, (3) limited information about the role of individual variables in second language acquisition, (4) insufficient information about the role of social and environmental variables in second language acquisition, (5) undeveloped methodology for data collection and (6) for data analysis, and (7) the limited number of replicated studies to date. Suggestions are made for future research.