Task-related Outcomes Research Articles

A sequence of learning processes in an intelligent tutoring system from topic-related appraisals to learning gains

Although intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) are increasingly used, it is unclear which psychological processes precede students' learning gains. Using a pre- and posttest design, the present study examined a sequence of psychological processes informed by control value theory. We investigated (a) whether secondary school students' topic-related cognitive appraisals (value and control) affected their task-related affective (enjoyment and boredom) and cognitive (engagement and performance) outcomes while using the ITS and (b) whether task-related outcomes affected learning. Path analyses showed that students’ topic-related interest, but not perceived utility, personal importance or self-efficacy, was associated with task-related enjoyment. In turn, enjoyment showed reciprocal effects on and of engagement and ongoing task performance, which predicted final performance and, ultimately, learning gains. The influence of boredom, in contrast, was minimal along this sequence. More generally, the findings highlight the difficulty of establishing a clear pattern of sequential causation derived from control value theory for the current ITS context, with evidence demonstrating the systematic influence of confounders accounting for the predicted relations among components. Despite these limitations, we identified key psychological processes involving the contribution of affective and cognitive processes to learning in the ITS context.

Showing commitment or incompetence? When and how newcomers’ information seeking elevates (degrades) task-related outcomes – ERRATUM

Showing commitment or incompetence? When and how newcomers’ information seeking elevates (degrades) task-related outcomes – ERRATUM

Showing commitment or incompetence? When and how newcomers' information seeking elevates (degrades) task-related outcomes

Abstract To date, empirical research exploring the complex mechanisms of when and how information seeking from supervisor affects newcomers' task-related outcomes remains in its infancy. With a sample of 394 newcomers and their supervisors, drawing on the conservation of resources theory and professional image construction theory, we proposed and confirmed two paradoxical paths regarding perceptions of professional image construction – concern about impairing competence-image and confidence in improving commitment-image – that connect newcomers' information seeking from supervisor with their emotional exhaustion during socialization and ultimately can elevate and degrade their task-related outcomes, respectively. In addition, we found that supervisors' favorable feedback weakened the relationship between information seeking from supervisor and competence-image impairment concern, whereas it strengthened the linkage between information seeking and commitment-image improvement confidence. This study thus provides a more comprehensive picture for scholars and practitioners.

Mood Repair and Maintenance at Work: A Scale Development and Theoretical Extension

Although researchers have generally found that daily negative moods lead to harmful outcomes, in contrast, daily positive moods improve well-being and performance. It remains unclear how employees engage in mood regulation strategies to “repair” their negative moods or “maintain” positive moods. Drawing on the mood regulation literature, we employed three studies to develop a scale to measure employees’ mood regulation strategies and test the mood repair/maintenance hypotheses. In the pilot study, we followed Hinkin’s (1998) scale development process to generate seven mood regulation strategies by interviewing 138 full-time employees and collecting items from existing literature. In Study 1, the daily data was collected twice a day (i.e., 9:00 AM and 4:30 PM) from 108 employees across two consecutive weeks, resulting in 1022 valid daily responses. Study 1 results showed that engaging in positive social activities, negative social activities, and task-related activities (e.g., trying harder to solve problems) effectively maintain their positive moods. In Study 2, we collect daily data twice a day (i.e., 8:30 AM and 11:30 AM) from another independent sample composed of 106 full-time employees across two weeks (i.e., 987 valid daily responses). Then we constructively replicate the Study 1 findings by employing different measures and research design. Notably, we also included recovery- and task-related outcomes as potential mechanisms to explain the effects of mood regulation strategies. Theoretical implications for mood regulation and recovery literature are further discussed.

Innovating in Circles

Innovations do not emerge in isolation but are at least to some extent recombinations of previously existing building blocks. In this paper, we will build on the recombination processes feature set broadening and deepening to show how individuals innovate with IT. In our understanding, the out-comes of innovative use can be performative (improving existing task performance) or creative (leading to new deliverables). We build on a longitudinal case of stresstracking initially designed to improve meditation, but ultimately increasing work productivity by using the meditation tool in an innovative way. Using a theoretically grounded analysis framework, we were able to derive eight propositions on the attainment of performative and creative outcome of innovative IT use. We postulate that innovation only occurs through repeating cycles of recombination processes. Particularly, we propose that it is instrumental to run through a phase that does not benefit any task-related outcomes to trigger true creative outcomes.

Collaboration on large interactive displays: a systematic review

Large Interactive Displays (LIDs), such as tabletops or interactive walls, are promising innovations, which are increasingly used to support co-located collaboration. Yet the current evidence base on the impact of LID use on collaborative processes and outcomes, and associated influencing factors, is fragmented, particularly in comparison with other media. To address this gap, a systematic review was carried out in the databases Web of Science, Psych.Info, ACM, Elsevier, JSTOR and Springer and in the ACM CHI conference database. A corpus of 38 articles with experimental study designs met the eligibility criteria and was analyzed in-depth. With regard to collaboration processes, the findings suggest a relatively clear advantage of the use of LIDs over classic forms of collaboration, in particular over single-user environments (e.g. laptops). With attention to collaborative outcomes, positive effects of LIDs were identified for knowledge gains and social encounters, and mixed effects for task-related outcomes. The analysis further shows relevant influencing factors of LID, such as the separation of personal and joint work spaces and the deployment of horizontal instead of vertical displays. Conceptual and practice implications are discussed.

Resting state intrinsic EEG impacts on go stimulus-response processes.

Neuropsychological research and practice rely on cognitive task performance measures as indicators of brain functioning. The neural activity underlying stimulus-response processes can be assessed with ERPs, but the relations between these cognitive processes and the brain's intrinsic resting state EEG activity are less understood. This study focused on the neurocognitive functioning of 20 healthy young adults in an equiprobable go/no-go task to map the ERP correlates of behavioral responses and examine contributions of the resting state intrinsic EEG to task-related outcomes. Continuous EEG was recorded during pretask eyes-closed (EC) and eyes-open (EO) conditions, and in the subsequent task. Delta, theta, alpha, and beta band amplitudes were assessed for the EC state and also for the reactive change to EO. Go/no-go ERPs were submitted to temporal principal components analysis, where the P2, N2, P3, and slow wave components of interest were extracted. The performance measure of reaction time (RT) variability was positively correlated with no-go and go errors, and also with go P2 amplitude, linking these to stimulus discrimination efforts involved in appropriate response selection. An N2c-P3b pairing was enhanced for shorter mean RTs, supporting their involvement in the decision to execute a response. A stepwise regression model identified EC midline delta as a predictor of P3b positivity, highlighting the relevance of delta in the neural mechanisms of attentional processes. These findings clarify the electrophysiology underlying decision-making processes in executive function, and provide a platform for further research assessing performance outcomes in larger samples and in developmental/clinical contexts.

Average personal goal pursuit profile and contextual achievement goals: Effects on students' motivation, achievement emotions, and achievement

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of quasi-experimental goal conditions (mastery, performance-approach, combined mastery/performance-approach) on expository text learning task motivation, emotions, and achievement in a sample of students displaying the average all goal orientations profile. Participants were 143 Croatian high school students. Results revealed that the assignment of multiple mastery/performance-approach goals exerted the most adaptive pattern of results across the examined task-related outcomes. Implications for educational research and practice are discussed.

Authentic Leadership In Sales Management: The Effects On Salespeople’s Task Related Outcomes

Authentic leadership, as a new leadership concept emerging from the demand for honest and reliable leaders, has attracted the attention of the business community. The relationship between authentic leaders and their followers is being investigated across many disciplines. This study focuses on authentic leadership in sales management and explores how it affects the task-related outcomes of salespeople, such as learning orientation, customer orientation, intrinsic motivation and working hard. The data for the study were obtained from 364 salespeople and analysed using the partial least squares method. The results indicate that authentic leadership has significant positive effects upon learning orientation (β=0.251; p<0.01), customer orientation (β=0.358; p<0.01), intrinsic motivation (β=0.334; p<0.01), and working hard (β=0.251; p<0.01). As the theory suggests that authentic leadership makes important contributions to the development of followers, this study is the first to explore these contributions upon salespeople’s activities that they undertake within their sales tasks and leads to success in personal selling. Findings indicate that authentic leadership has significant positive effects upon salespeople’s individual task related outcomes.

Breach of belongingness: Newcomer relationship conflict, information, and task-related outcomes during organizational socialization.

Previous studies of newcomer socialization have underlined the importance of newcomers' information seeking for their adjustment to the organization, and the conflict literature has consistently reported negative effects of relationship conflict with coworkers. However, to date, no study has examined the consequences of relationship conflict on newcomers' information seeking. In this study, we examined newcomers' reactions when they have relationship conflict with their coworkers, and hence cannot obtain necessary information from them. Drawing upon belongingness theory, we propose a model that moves from breach of belongingness to its proximal and distal consequences, to newcomer information seeking, and then to task-related outcomes. In particular, we propose that second paths exist-first coworker-centric and the other supervisor-centric-that may have simultaneous yet contrasting influence on newcomer adjustment. To test our model, we employ a 3-wave data collection research design with egocentric and Likert-type multisource surveys among a sample of new software engineers and their supervisors working in India. This study contributes to the field by linking the literatures on relationship conflict and newcomer information seeking and suggesting that despite conflict with coworkers, newcomers may succeed in organizations by building relationships with and obtaining information from supervisors.

"Breach of Belongingness: Newcomer Relationship Conflict, Information, and Task-Related Outcomes"

Previous studies of newcomer socialization underline the importance of newcomer information seeking for adjustment to the organization, and conflict literature has consistently reported negative effects of relationship conflict. However, to date, no study has examined the effects of relationship conflict on newcomers’ information seeking. Thus, in this study we examine newcomers’ reaction when they have a relationship conflict with their coworkers, and hence cannot obtain necessary information from them. Drawing upon belongingness theory, we propose a model that moves from breach of belongingness (relationship conflict) to its proximal (social anxiety and relationship building) and distal (information adequacy) consequences to newcomer information seeking, and finally to task-related outcomes. We use a three-wave data collection research design with egocentric and Likert-type multi- source surveys among a sample of new software engineers and their supervisors working in India to test our model. This study...

Scripting Employees

Because customers can recognize when hospitality firms are employing service scripts, an examination is in order to determine how customers perceive scripted service. This article assesses customer perceptions of scripted service encounters with both content analysis and quantitative analysis of more than 2,000 open-ended customer responses to a survey addressing service scripts. The study found both task- and treatment-related implications for customer reactions to scripted service. Customers’ overall sentiment toward scripting is more positive when they are focusing on task-related outcomes, but their comments turned more negative when they considered treatment-related implications, particularly when they detected employee insincerity in regard to the script. Management should consider these findings carefully because customers in this survey gave more notice to treatment-related issues than they did to task-related outcomes for the scripted service. A key implication is that managers may wish to reserve tight scripting for simple services for which efficiency is valued, such as hotel check-in or seating guests in a restaurant. For more complex services, scripts should be flexible, and managers should seek employee buy-in so that they are internalizing the script elements, rather than merely “surface acting.”

Efficacy of motor imagery in post-stroke rehabilitation: a systematic review

BackgroundEvaluation of how Motor Imagery and conventional therapy (physiotherapy or occupational therapy) compare to conventional therapy only in their effects on clinically relevant outcomes during rehabilitation of persons with stroke.DesignSystematic review of the literatureMethodsWe conducted an electronic database search in seven databases in August 2005 and also hand-searched the bibliographies of studies that we selected for the review.Two reviewers independently screened and selected all randomized controlled trials that compare the effects of conventional therapy plus Motor Imagery to those of only conventional therapy on stroke patients.The outcome measurements were: Fugl-Meyer Stroke Assessment upper extremity score (66 points) and Action Research Arm Test upper extremity score (57 points).Due to the high variability in the outcomes, we could not pool the data statistically.ResultsWe identified four randomized controlled trials from Asia and North America. The quality of the included studies was poor to moderate. Two different Motor imagery techniques were used (three studies used audiotapes and one study had occupational therapists apply the intervention). Two studies found significant effects of Motor Imagery in the Fugl-Meyer Stroke Assessment: Differences between groups amounted to 11.0 (1.0 to 21.0) and 3.2 (-4 to 10.3) respectively and in the Action Research Arm Test 6.1 (-6.2 to 18.4) and 15.8 (0.5 to 31.0) respectively. One study did not find a significant effect in the Fugl-Meyer Stroke Assessment and Color trail Test (p = 0.28) but in the task-related outcomes (p > 0.001).ConclusionCurrent evidence suggests that Motor imagery provides additional benefits to conventional physiotherapy or occupational therapy. However, larger and methodologically sounder studies should be conducted to assess the benefits of Motor imagery.

Media Richness or Media Naturalness? The Evolution of Our Biological Communication Apparatus and Its Influence on Our Behavior Toward E-Communication Tools

E-communication in businesses has been the target of intense research. The theoretical hypotheses that have informed the media richness hypothesis have been influential in some circles and have also been strongly attacked by social theorists. It is argued in this paper that this theoretical polarization involving advocates of the media richness hypothesis and social theorists is due to two problems. The first is that there is a wealth of empirical evidence that provides direct support for the notion that human beings prefer the face-to-face medium for a variety of business tasks that involve communication, which seems to provide support for the media richness hypothesis. The second problem is that the media richness hypothesis is built on a vacuum, as no underlying explanation was ever presented by media richness theorists for our predisposition toward rich (or face-to-face) media. The main goal of this paper is to offer a solution to these problems by providing an alternative to the media richness hypothesis, referred to here as media naturalness hypothesis, developed based on Darwin's theory of evolution. The media naturalness hypothesis argues that, other things being equal, a decrease in the degree of naturalness of a communication medium (or its degree of similarity to the face-to-face medium) leads to the following effects in connection with a communication interaction: (a) increased cognitive effort, (b) increased communication ambiguity, and (c) decreased physiological arousal. Like the media richness hypothesis, the media naturalness hypothesis has important implications for the selection, use, and deployment of e-communication tools in organizations. However, unlike the media richness hypothesis, the media naturalness hypothesis is compatible with social theories of behavior toward e-communication tools. Among other things, this paper shows that the media naturalness hypothesis (unlike its media richness counterpart) is compatible with the notion that, regardless of the obstacles posed by low naturalness media, individuals using those media to perform collaborative tasks may achieve the same or better task-related outcomes than individuals using media with higher degrees of naturalness.

Effects of Coworker Race and Task Demand on Task‐Related Outcomes as Mediated by Evoked Affect1

Using a 2 × 2 (Coworker Race × Task Demand) design and data from 180 White women who worked in dyads with a male confederate, the present study examined the effects of coworker race (White vs. Black) and task demand (low vs. high cognitive demand) on evoked affect, task attention, task performance, task satisfaction, and the desire to work alone (as opposed to with a coworker). As expected, results showed that coworker race and task demand evoked differing levels of affect, which, in turn, influenced several other outcomes. These findings have important implications for promoting racial diversity in organizations.

Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment in Relation to Work Performance and Turnover Intentions

The differential associations that job satisfaction and organizational commitment have with job performance and turnover intentions were studied in a sample of bank tellers and hospital professionals. Results showed that organizational commitment was more strongly related than job satisfaction with turnover intentions for the tellers, but not for the professionals. Job satisfaction was related more strongly than organizational commitment with supervisory ratings of performance for both samples. The findings suggest that specific job attitudes are more closely associated with task-related out-comes such as performance ratings, whereas global organizational attitudes are more closely associated with organization-related outcomes like turnover intentions.