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Title: EXAMINING EMPLOYEE USE OF FAMILY-FRIENDLY BENEFITS WITH THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR.
Creator: Seiser, Heather, Fritzsche, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the factors that may be related to employees' decisions to use the family-friendly benefits (e.g., maternity/paternity leave, flexible work schedule) that are offered to them by their employers. Research has shown that both employees and organizations benefit when employees use family-friendly benefits. However, research has also shown that many employees do not take advantage of such benefits. Studies examining this issue are limited,...
Show moreThe purpose of the present study was to investigate the factors that may be related to employees' decisions to use the family-friendly benefits (e.g., maternity/paternity leave, flexible work schedule) that are offered to them by their employers. Research has shown that both employees and organizations benefit when employees use family-friendly benefits. However, research has also shown that many employees do not take advantage of such benefits. Studies examining this issue are limited, and much of the research that has been conducted is anecdotal and atheoretical. The present study overcame this problem by empirically examining the use of family-friendly benefits within the theoretical context of Ajzen's (1991) theory of planned behavior. The results of this study support the theory of planned behavior. Specifically, the results indicated that whether an individual perceived he/she had control over the use of family-friendly benefits was the most predictive of whether he/she intended to use them. Whether the individual perceived that others would approve of these behaviors was also predictive of intention to perform the behaviors. In addition, an individual's intention to take leave or use a flexible work schedule was the most predictive of whether he or she actually engaged in the behaviors. Implications for practice as well as future research directions are also discussed.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: CFE0001399, ucf:46959
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001399

Title: WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS: WHO GETS A BREAK?.
Creator: Hickson, Kara, Fritzsche, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Forty percent of employed parents report that they experience work-family conflict (Galinsky, Bond, & Friedman, 1993). Work-family conflict (WFC) exists when role pressures from the work and family domains are mutually incompatible. WFC is associated with decreases in family, job, and life satisfaction and physical health; intention to quit one's job; and increases in workplace absenteeism. Women may be more impacted by WFC than men, as women report completing 65-80% of the child care ...
Show moreForty percent of employed parents report that they experience work-family conflict (Galinsky, Bond, & Friedman, 1993). Work-family conflict (WFC) exists when role pressures from the work and family domains are mutually incompatible. WFC is associated with decreases in family, job, and life satisfaction and physical health; intention to quit one's job; and increases in workplace absenteeism. Women may be more impacted by WFC than men, as women report completing 65-80% of the child care (Sayer, 2001) and spend 80 hours per week fulfilling work and home responsibilities (Cowan, 1983). Research suggests that WFC can be reduced with social support, such as co-workers providing assistance when family interferes with work (Carlson & Perrewé, 1999). It is unclear whether parents 'get a break' or are penalized by co-workers. The purpose of the present study was to examine co-workers' reactions to individuals who experience WFC. Based on sex role theory and attribution theory, it was predicted that women, people who experience family interference with work, and those who have more control over the work interference would be helped less and evaluated more poorly on a team task than men, people who experience non-family related work interference, and those who have less control over the work interference. A laboratory experiment was conducted in which participants signed up for a team-based study. The teammate was a confederate who was late for the study. Teammate control over the tardiness (unexpected physician's visit versus forgotten physician's appointment), type of work conflict (self- versus family-related), and gender of the teammate were manipulated. After learning about the reasons for the tardiness of their teammate, the 218 participants (63% female; 59% Caucasian) decided whether to help the late teammate by completing a word sort task for them or letting the late teammate make up the work after the experiment. When the teammate arrived, the participants completed a team task and then evaluated the task performance of their teammate. None of the hypotheses were confirmed in this study. However, exploratory analyses showed that people who had more control over the tardiness were rated lower than people who had less control over the tardiness. Contrary to expectations, exploratory analyses also showed that men rated women who were late to the study for a family-related reason higher than women who were late due to a self-related reason. These findings suggest that male co-workers may give women a break when they experience family interference with work. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: CFE0002136, ucf:47517
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002136

Title: GAME ON: THE IMPACT OF GAME FEATURES IN COMPUTER-BASED TRAINING.
Creator: DeRouin-Jessen, Renee, Fritzsche, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The term "serious games" became popularized in 2002 as a result of an initiative to promote the use of games for education, training, and other purposes. Today, many companies are using games for training and development, often with hefty price tags. For example, the development budget for the U.S. Army recruiting game, "America's Army" was estimated at $7 million. Given their increasing use and high costs, it is important to understand whether game-based learning systems perform as...
Show moreThe term "serious games" became popularized in 2002 as a result of an initiative to promote the use of games for education, training, and other purposes. Today, many companies are using games for training and development, often with hefty price tags. For example, the development budget for the U.S. Army recruiting game, "America's Army" was estimated at $7 million. Given their increasing use and high costs, it is important to understand whether game-based learning systems perform as billed. Research suggests that games do not always increase learning outcomes over conventional instruction. However, certain game features (e.g., rules/goals, fantasy, challenge) might be more beneficial for increasing learner motivation and learning outcomes than other game features. This study manipulated two specific game features: multimedia-based fantasy (vs. text-based fantasy) and reward (vs. no reward) in a computer-based training program on employment law. Participants (N=169) were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental conditions or to a traditional computer-based training condition. Contrary to hypotheses, the traditional PowerPoint-like version was found to lead to better declarative knowledge outcomes on the learning test than the most game-like version, although no differences were found between conditions on any of the other dependent variables. Participants in all conditions were equally motivated to learn, were equally satisfied with the learning experience, completed an equal number of practice exercises, performed equally well on the declarative knowledge and skill-based practice, and performed equally well on the skill-based learning test. This suggests that adding the "bells and whistles" of game features to a training program won't necessarily improve learner motivation and training outcomes.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: CFE0002439, ucf:47714
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002439

Title: REJECTION IN THE JOB SELECTION PROCESS: THE EFFECTS OF INFORMATION & SENSITIVITY.
Creator: Yonce, Clayton, Fritzsche, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Most people will experience rejection in the job selection process. Rejection from job opportunities is often issued via a letter from a hiring manager. These letters elicit reactions from applicants who may, in turn, have less favorable self perceptions and less favorable perceptions of the organization from which the applicant was rejected. Numerous research articles have been published that deal with delivering notification of selection and/or rejection to applicants in the job selection...
Show moreMost people will experience rejection in the job selection process. Rejection from job opportunities is often issued via a letter from a hiring manager. These letters elicit reactions from applicants who may, in turn, have less favorable self perceptions and less favorable perceptions of the organization from which the applicant was rejected. Numerous research articles have been published that deal with delivering notification of selection and/or rejection to applicants in the job selection process. However, relatively few use a realistic laboratory design to obtain results. This study examined the effects of sensitivity and information in notifications of rejection when applicants are rejected in the job selection process. A more realistic laboratory design was used to increase the psychological fidelity of the job selection situation. One hundred forty undergraduate students participated in this study. Participants were told to imagine that they were graduate school applicants. Then, the participants completed a fake graduate school admissions test and received notification of rejection from a fake graduate school. Participants were assigned to conditions (letters varying in sensitivity and information type) randomly and the participants completed a post-notification of rejection survey that captured their self and organizational perceptions. Additionally, moderating variables were explored.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: CFE0000877, ucf:46654
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000877

Title: TRULY ACCOMPLISHED: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF MOTIVATION AND SOCIAL INFLUENCE.
Creator: Tucker, Carly, Fritzsche, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of this study was to examine the motivation of individuals to use Truly Accomplished (TA) as a fitness intervention, with or without a social support component. All participants utilized the TA Software as a fitness intervention and received weekly feedback on their progress. Thirty participants were randomly assigned to either participate in the regular TA process or a modified TA process with the addition of a social support component in the form of a social media group....
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to examine the motivation of individuals to use Truly Accomplished (TA) as a fitness intervention, with or without a social support component. All participants utilized the TA Software as a fitness intervention and received weekly feedback on their progress. Thirty participants were randomly assigned to either participate in the regular TA process or a modified TA process with the addition of a social support component in the form of a social media group. Participants in the modified condition posted weekly to a Facebook group page about successes and obstacles they faced and gave feedback to their peers. It was hypothesized that participants, regardless of condition, would show fitness gains in the 6-week study. Also, with the added social support component to TA, participants were expected to have higher levels of self-determination in relation to the three psychological needs (i.e. autonomy, relatedness, and competence) and higher levels of perceived social support. A between-subjects deign was used to measure overall effectiveness, changes in fitness performance (plank, push-ups, wall-sit, step-test) and body composition (BMI, percent body fat), perceived social support, levels of psychological needs satisfaction as it relates to the three basic needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), and satisfaction with TA. No significant differences were found between conditions for satisfaction with TA, levels of perceived social support, or levels of psychological needs satisfaction post-intervention. However, a significant increase was found regardless of condition in terms of autonomy and guidance. A significant increase was shown in both the plank and modified push-up post-intervention measure, regardless of condition. Finally, the condition with the added social support had a significantly higher overall effectiveness gain than the condition with no added social support. The practical and theoretical implications of the results are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFH0004782, ucf:45389
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004782

Title: WHEN PEOPLE WORKING IN AN OFFICE DON'T WANT TO WORKOUT: AN EXPLORATION OF CORPORATE BENEFIT USE AND CORRELATES TO THE BIG FIVE MODEL OF PERSONALITY.
Creator: Harris, Dominique T, Fritzsche, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Many corporate offices now offer fitness benefits to their employees. Evidence shows that corporate fitness programs are linked to decreased tardiness, absenteeism, and reduced healthcare costs. These programs also help address the growing obesity crisis threatening one in every three American adults. However, many employees do not participate in corporate fitness plans in spite of the convenience many programs offer. Thus, I wished to explore the personality and lifestyle factors that...
Show moreMany corporate offices now offer fitness benefits to their employees. Evidence shows that corporate fitness programs are linked to decreased tardiness, absenteeism, and reduced healthcare costs. These programs also help address the growing obesity crisis threatening one in every three American adults. However, many employees do not participate in corporate fitness plans in spite of the convenience many programs offer. Thus, I wished to explore the personality and lifestyle factors that contribute to older (age 25+) employees' exercise habits, their use of corporate benefits and correlates to the Big Five model of Personality along with other personality measures. I gathered 94 participants aged 25 and above, who work full-time (at least 32+ hours per week).I had my participants report their demographic information and take a survey through Qualtrics and Amazon Mechanical Turk analyzing their exercise habits and use of corporate benefits. Based on my findings, the Big 5 facet that correlated with corporate benefit use the most was immoderation. Other factors that correlated included Externally Controlled Motivation, Autonomous Motivation, and Perceived Competence. Furthermore, participants were able to share tips for how to improve corporate benefit use. The study could have benefitted from a larger sample size and observation-based reporting, however overall it serves as a good indicator of traits that make a person more inclined to participate in exercise programs and poses suggestions for the improvement of said programs.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFH2000101, ucf:45518
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000101

Title: MATRIARCHS AND SWEETHEARTS AND REBELS, OH MY! ARCHETYPES AS AN APPROACH TO MULTIPLE GROUP MEMBERSHIP.
Creator: Gebben, Alissa, Fritzsche, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of this thesis was to examine a potential cognitive mechanism for simultaneous processing of age, race, and gender schemas. Marcus and Fritzsche (2014) propose that the outcome of the tripartite relationship of age, race, and sex are associated with archetypes, and that these archetypes categorize different intersections uniquely. To facilitate this, age groups selected were "old" and "young", race groups selected were "Black" and "White", and sex/gender groups selected were ...
Show moreThe purpose of this thesis was to examine a potential cognitive mechanism for simultaneous processing of age, race, and gender schemas. Marcus and Fritzsche (2014) propose that the outcome of the tripartite relationship of age, race, and sex are associated with archetypes, and that these archetypes categorize different intersections uniquely. To facilitate this, age groups selected were "old" and "young", race groups selected were "Black" and "White", and sex/gender groups selected were "female" and "male". Several photographs representing each intersection were selected from LinkedIn for use in the pilot study, which were rated via a survey measuring the target's stereotype, and the items included were chosen with the intent of selecting archetypal pictures for the main study that were the relatively equivalent across several dimensions. The main study used the selected photographs to address perceptions of participants (n=84) regarding adjectives used to represent each of the eight archetype conditions. Results suggest partial support for the proposed archetype theory, but the study faced limitations with respects to the photographs used in the main study. Inconsistencies with the literature suggest that the archetypes may been measured improperly, were conceived incorrectly, or do not exist. However, this study serves as a step towards understanding the complex relationship between a person's age, race, and sex.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFH0004869, ucf:45434
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004869

Title: TRULY ACCOMPLISHED: EXPLORATORY STUDY OF SUCCESS MAP DEVELOPMENT.
Creator: Chaffee, Dorey, Fritzsche, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The current study examined Truly Accomplished (TA), an intervention designed to help individuals develop personalized systems to measure and improve behavior by utilizing well-established principles and research on motivation, participation and feedback. This study focused on participation during Success Map development (an integral step in the TA process) and the impact of using experts to develop Success Maps in the TA system. Using the context of fitness, 40 female participants were...
Show moreThe current study examined Truly Accomplished (TA), an intervention designed to help individuals develop personalized systems to measure and improve behavior by utilizing well-established principles and research on motivation, participation and feedback. This study focused on participation during Success Map development (an integral step in the TA process) and the impact of using experts to develop Success Maps in the TA system. Using the context of fitness, 40 female participants were randomly assigned to either complete the regular TA process, developing their own Success Maps, or the modified TA process, using expert-developed Success Maps. A repeated-measures design with one between-subjects independent variable was used to measure overall effectiveness scores, changes in fitness performance (plank, wall-sit, push-ups, curl-ups) and body composition (BMI, percent body fat), attitudes of system development, satisfaction with TA and satisfaction with life. Additionally, the similarities between expert and self-developed Success Maps were compared. Across all participants, large gains in effectiveness were found, including significant increases in all measurers of fitness performance; however, attitudes were poorer when Success Maps were developed by experts. Moreover, there were differences between expert and self-developed Success Maps. Results support TA as an effective intervention for positive behavior change. The practical and theoretical implications of the differences found between conditions are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFH0004485, ucf:45064
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004485

Title: THE COST OF DISCRIMINATION: JOB AGE-TYPE AND LEGAL OUTCOMES.
Creator: Smith, Nicholas, Fritzsche, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The older population is growing rapidly and businesses must prepare for changes in their workforce. Cases of age discrimination have also become more common. Older workers are being forced out of their jobs at a faster rate than any other age group. As a result, older workers commonly take jobs in different careers, where they compete with younger workers who have similar relevant experience and are valued for their youth. Both prototype matching theory and career timetables theory state that...
Show moreThe older population is growing rapidly and businesses must prepare for changes in their workforce. Cases of age discrimination have also become more common. Older workers are being forced out of their jobs at a faster rate than any other age group. As a result, older workers commonly take jobs in different careers, where they compete with younger workers who have similar relevant experience and are valued for their youth. Both prototype matching theory and career timetables theory state that people hold stereotypes of the job in addition to stereotypes of people. In laboratory research, a mismatch between the age of the worker and the age-type of the job has led to lower evaluations, lower job suitability ratings, and other indicators of discrimination. The purpose of this thesis is to assess whether the construct of age-type is related to discrimination in real-world legal cases. Real life instances of discrimination were attained from a 15-year sample of 388 age discrimination jury verdicts and settlements. Each job in the sample of cases was rated to determine age-type, perceived proportion of older and younger workers in the job, and importance of stereotypically older worker features to the job. Results showed that all forms of age stereotypes, both general and specific, were related to the frequency of cases in jobs associated with older or younger stereotypes. Specifically, older workers were more likely to have age discrimination cases go to trial in younger age-typed jobs. However, these variables did not help to predict formal outcomes of the cases (win vs. loss). Among the cases that did win, cases in older age-typed jobs won significantly more money than in younger age-typed jobs.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFH0004262, ucf:44948
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004262

Title: AGEIST PERCEPTIONS IN PERSONNEL SELECTION DECISIONS: A PREJUDICE-REDUCTION INTERVENTION.
Creator: Marcus, Justin, Fritzsche, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of the current study was to examine whether older job applicants are discriminated against relative to younger job applicants when changing careers, and to investigate whether an intervention designed to reduce stereotyping and prejudice could alleviate such unfair discrimination, if it was found. A between-subjects laboratory experiment with three factors was conducted, including age (young vs. old job applicant), career-transition type (within- vs. between-career transition),...
Show moreThe purpose of the current study was to examine whether older job applicants are discriminated against relative to younger job applicants when changing careers, and to investigate whether an intervention designed to reduce stereotyping and prejudice could alleviate such unfair discrimination, if it was found. A between-subjects laboratory experiment with three factors was conducted, including age (young vs. old job applicant), career-transition type (within- vs. between-career transition), and a dual-identity based recategorization intervention (control vs. intervention), totaling 8 experimental conditions. Data were collected and analyzed from 157 undergraduate student participants. Participants were informed that they would be evaluating the viability of using video-resumes as a potential organizational selection tool, and were randomly assigned to watch a video-resume depicting a White male job applicant applying for the job of mechanical engineer. The job applicant was either younger or older and was either making a career change that was more similar to his previous career (i.e., naval architect) or less similar to his previous career (i.e., chiropractor). In the intervention conditions, the job applicant emphasized his age and the fact that he graduated from UCF; in the control conditions, he only emphasized his age and his educational background from a generic university. An actor in his early twenties played the role of the job applicant. Make-up was applied to age his face, and computer software was used to age his voice. After viewing the video-resumes, participants judged his suitability for hire, competence, warmth, loyalty, and suitability for training. A Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) was conducted and a significant 3-way interaction was found between age, career-transition type, and intervention on both ratings of suitability for hire and on competence ratings. Counter to theory, the older job applicant was negatively impacted relative to the younger applicant when attempting to build a common ingroup identity with the younger decision-maker. These findings were discussed within the context of theories on attribution and impression management, and discussed relative to prior research utilizing the dual-identity based recategorization intervention method. Implications for older workers making career transitions are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003324, ucf:48450
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003324

Title: HOW DO SITUATIONAL JUDGMENT TESTS AND SITUATIONAL INTERVIEWS COMPARE? AN EXAMINATION OF CONSTRUCT AND CRITERION-RELATED VALIDITY.
Creator: Gunter, James, Fritzsche, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This study replicated and extended an earlier study by Banki and Latham (2010) and developed an equivalent SJT and SI in order to examine whether the two methods correlated differently with cognitive ability, personality, job experience, and job performance. The results of this study showed that the SJT and SI only correlated .20 and that the correlations for the SI with Extraversion, customer service experience, and overall work experience were significantly different from the correlations...
Show moreThis study replicated and extended an earlier study by Banki and Latham (2010) and developed an equivalent SJT and SI in order to examine whether the two methods correlated differently with cognitive ability, personality, job experience, and job performance. The results of this study showed that the SJT and SI only correlated .20 and that the correlations for the SI with Extraversion, customer service experience, and overall work experience were significantly different from the correlations for the SJT. Participants felt that the SJT and SI provided the same opportunity to perform oneÃ‚Â's skills and level of scoring consistency. However, participants felt significantly more anxiety during the SI than the SJT. The practical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003522, ucf:48941
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003522

Title: DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE CROSS-CULTURAL COMPETENCE INVENTORY.
Creator: Thornson, Carol, Fritzsche, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Understanding the factors responsible for successful interactions between cultures has been an ongoing investigation among anthropologists, social workers, and organizational psychologists. The need for employees who are able to function effectively across cultures has resulted in a great deal of research examining which factors enable expatriate effectiveness. Despite the necessity of a workforce that is able to function across cultures in todayÃ‚Â's global economy, an...
Show moreUnderstanding the factors responsible for successful interactions between cultures has been an ongoing investigation among anthropologists, social workers, and organizational psychologists. The need for employees who are able to function effectively across cultures has resulted in a great deal of research examining which factors enable expatriate effectiveness. Despite the necessity of a workforce that is able to function across cultures in todayÃ‚Â's global economy, an even greater case can be made for cross-cultural competence (3C) in the U.S. military. The potential for loss of life and international-level consequences is high if our military forces are not adequately prepared. This is why the Department of Defense has identified 3C as a critical determinant of success for military missions. Despite the critical need for military 3C, a review of the literature found no validated instruments developed to assess the readiness of our troops to work closely with foreign nationals and coalition forces in the context of military deployments. As such, the overarching goal of this validation study was to enable the U.S. military to prepare and train its forces in 3C, specifically allowing the military to: (1) better assess troop readiness to engage other cultures; (2) target training to those skills that help achieve missions in the field; (3) design more authentic cross-cultural training exercises; (4) assess the effectiveness of cross-cultural training; and (5) guide the development of future cultural training efforts. To that end, a blended approach to scale development was undertaken, whereby critical-incident interviews with subject matter experts informed which of the individual difference predictors from the civilian literatures would likely be applicable to the military domain. Initial administration of the prototype instrument to 792 military members, followed by exploratory factor analysis, revealed six hypothesized factors of 3C. Following scale development, the Cross-Cultural Competence Inventory (3CI) was administered to almost 5,000 service members, and the six-factor structure was confirmed as well as cross-validated. Another data collection effort focused on assessing the stability of the six factors over time, via test-retest reliability analysis. A final validation study revealed Cultural Exploration to be a significant predictor of three of the four performance criteria, as rated by supervisors on deployment. Furthermore, this study offered the unique perspective gained by administering two popular civilian instruments along with a military-based tool, providing insight into the nature of military 3C and the ways in which it is similar to, and distinct from, civilian 3C. Additionally, important theoretical contributions may help guide future empirical research and military applications. This study is the initial step in assessing readiness for cultural interaction in the military. The results may serve to guide future efforts in military research in order to support our forces in the field as well as to guide the military establishment in making decisions on training, education, and operations in the context of mission success.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003437, ucf:48388
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003437

Title: THE MODERATING EFFECT OF GENDER ON THE USE OF HUMOR DURING A STRUCTURED INTERVIEW: THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID.
Creator: Gallaher, Laura, Fritzsche, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This study examined the moderating impact of gender on the use of humor during employment interviews. Consistent with expectancy violation theory, I hypothesized that the use of humor by female candidates would cause more extreme evaluations than the use of humor by male candidates. In other words, when positive (affiliative) humor is used, females will be rated more positively than males, but when negative (aggressive) humor is used, females will be rated more negatively than males. I also...
Show moreThis study examined the moderating impact of gender on the use of humor during employment interviews. Consistent with expectancy violation theory, I hypothesized that the use of humor by female candidates would cause more extreme evaluations than the use of humor by male candidates. In other words, when positive (affiliative) humor is used, females will be rated more positively than males, but when negative (aggressive) humor is used, females will be rated more negatively than males. I also hypothesized that the relationship between humor condition and evaluations would be partially mediated by state positive affect. I also posed a research question regarding how recall of what was said in the interview would relate to humor and evaluations. This experiment was a 2 (gender) x 3 (affiliative humor, aggressive humor, no humor) factorial design. Participants received brief interviewer training, interviewed a confederate playing another participant as the applicant, and then completed measures. Data from 221 undergraduate students were analyzed. Results demonstrate support of some hypotheses, including a main effect of humor condition on evaluations and partial mediation of state positive affect. Practical and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003074, ucf:48304
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003074

Title: Affective Chickens and Performance Eggs: A Longitudinal Meta-Analysis.
Creator: Lapalme, Matthew, Joseph, Dana, Shoss, Mindy, Fritzsche, Barbara, Barsade, Sigal, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The affective revolution in the organizational sciences has yielded a body of theoretical and empirical research examining the relationship between affect and performance. This work has typically advanced affect as a predictor of performance; however, more recent theory suggests that the relationship between affect and performance is reciprocal. Since little empirical work exists supporting reciprocity between affect and performance, the purpose of this dissertation is to test if affect and...
Show moreThe affective revolution in the organizational sciences has yielded a body of theoretical and empirical research examining the relationship between affect and performance. This work has typically advanced affect as a predictor of performance; however, more recent theory suggests that the relationship between affect and performance is reciprocal. Since little empirical work exists supporting reciprocity between affect and performance, the purpose of this dissertation is to test if affect and performance are actually reciprocally related. Importantly, the advent of longitudinal and experiential research designs in the organizational sciences affords empirical opportunities to test such theory. This dissertation examines the temporal patterning of relations between affect and performance using longitudinal meta-analysis. Using longitudinal meta-analysis, this dissertation shows that the relationship between affect and performance is equivalently reciprocal (i.e. performance predicts affect to the same extent that affect predicts performance) and that the relationships between negative affect and performance and positive affect and performance are similar in magnitude (i.e. there is no positive-negative asymmetry). This dissertation also suggested that positive affect and negative affect are compatible with a broad performance construct (i.e. task performance, OCB, CWB and withdrawal). Finally, this dissertation examined important measurement moderators and found: (a) affect is reciprocally related to episodic performance; (b) affect and performance are reciprocally related when time between measurements are longer than a month; and (c) state affect measures and trait affect measures both have reciprocal relationships with performance. This meta-analysis benefits the organizational sciences by providing support for existing theories of affect as a predictor of performance (e.g. (")happy-and-productive(") theories) and by validating theories which suggest that affect and performance are reciprocally related.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0007125, ucf:51963
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007125

Title: Emotional Intelligence in Organizational Social Networks.
Creator: Hermsdorfer, Andrea, Joseph, Dana, Fritzsche, Barbara, Wang, Wei, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This study examined the role of emotional intelligence in relationships. Drawing on the notion that individuals who are high on emotional intelligence should have more social ties to others and stronger relationships within these ties, this study used social network analysis to specifically examine the extent to which emotional intelligence is positively related to social network centrality. I hypothesized that emotional intelligence would be positively related to centrality in four networks:...
Show moreThis study examined the role of emotional intelligence in relationships. Drawing on the notion that individuals who are high on emotional intelligence should have more social ties to others and stronger relationships within these ties, this study used social network analysis to specifically examine the extent to which emotional intelligence is positively related to social network centrality. I hypothesized that emotional intelligence would be positively related to centrality in four networks: advice, friendship, support, and positive affect presence. The hypotheses were not supported in this study, in spite of this, the incremental validity suggest a relationship between emotional intelligence and network centrality that may show up in future research.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006686, ucf:51927
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006686

Title: Is Proactive Behavior Always Positive? An Examination of Leader Reactions Based on Employee Gender and Organizational Crisis.
Creator: Carusone, Nicole, Shoss, Mindy, Fritzsche, Barbara, Reynolds Kueny, Clair, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Organizations are increasingly looking to hire employees who are willing to take initiative and go above and beyond expectations (Campbell, 2000). To that aim, proactive behaviors have been increasingly considered as a potentially important characteristic of today's workers (Campbell, 2000). With workplaces becoming more decentralized and work becoming increasingly innovative and self-directed, organizations require employees who are able and willing to be proactive (Campbell, 2000; Frese (&)...
Show moreOrganizations are increasingly looking to hire employees who are willing to take initiative and go above and beyond expectations (Campbell, 2000). To that aim, proactive behaviors have been increasingly considered as a potentially important characteristic of today's workers (Campbell, 2000). With workplaces becoming more decentralized and work becoming increasingly innovative and self-directed, organizations require employees who are able and willing to be proactive (Campbell, 2000; Frese (&) Fay, 2001). Researchers have found many benefits to proactive behavior, including increases in individual performance and innovation (Seibert, Kraimer, (&) Crant, 2001; Tornau (&) Frese, 2013). While proactive behavior may have many benefits, there is some research that suggests, under certain circumstances, proactive behavior may have negative consequences for the enacting employee (Fuller, Marler, Hester, (&) Otondo, 2015; A. M. Grant, Parker, (&) Collins, 2009). This study investigated boundary conditions on the relationship between proactive behavior and positive outcomes for enacting employees. Specifically, it looked at the role of employee gender and organizational crisis on leader reactions to proactive behavior. A sample of college students participated in a laboratory experiment, where they role played as managers working with proactive employee confederates. With increased emphasis being placed on proactive behavior in the workplace, it is greatly important to understand conditions in which proactive behavior may be negatively received by leadership. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007317, ucf:52129
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007317

Title: The Relationship between Course Syllabi and Participant Evaluation Reactions Across Web-based and Face-to-Face Courses.
Creator: Glerum, David, Wooten, William, Fritzsche, Barbara, Yee, Kevin, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: A common form of training or education evaluation involves the examination of course participant reactions towards various aspects of the course for summative evaluation purposes. Participant reactions have been examined within the framework of a comparison between online and face to face courses often with a slight positive weight towards online courses (Sitzmann et al., 2006). Past research on this topic has denoted a need for studies examining the relationship between objective course...
Show moreA common form of training or education evaluation involves the examination of course participant reactions towards various aspects of the course for summative evaluation purposes. Participant reactions have been examined within the framework of a comparison between online and face to face courses often with a slight positive weight towards online courses (Sitzmann et al., 2006). Past research on this topic has denoted a need for studies examining the relationship between objective course characteristics and participant reactions. This paper seeks to examine the relationship between participant reactions of a sample of geographically disbursed teachers enrolled in a large, national professional development company and objective course characteristics as communicated by course syllabi within a framework of comparison between online and face to face courses. The delivery format, knowledge base, specificity of course objectives, and student interaction levels were all related to some degree to various participant reactions, although the effect sizes were notably small. In many cases, an interaction between the delivery format and objective course characteristic in question influenced the participant reaction. Objective course characteristics as communicated by the syllabi appeared to be major predictors of participant reactions within the face to face courses that were examined, but not for the online courses. Course development stakeholders are recommended to pay attention to the course syllabus design process and craft quality syllabi that communicate relevant information while concurrently anticipating potential participant reactions. Organizations may be able to align the outline for instruction or (")contract(") as presented by the syllabus with recommendations as offered by participant evaluations so as to instill consistent expectations within the participants and maximize positive reactions towards the courses within which they are enrolled.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0004113, ucf:49119
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004113

Title: Age-Typing Across Occupations: When, Where, and Why Occupational Age-Typing Exists.
Creator: Reeves, Michael, Fritzsche, Barbara, Dipboye, Robert, Smither, Janan, Matusitz, Jonahan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The present study sought to determine the direction and degree to which occupations representative of all major occupational categories are viewed as age-typed (i.e., more appropriate for older or younger workers). The 60 occupations examined were the 12 most common and familiar occupations in each of five occupational categories used by the U.S. Census Bureau. I randomly assigned 365 participants to one of three survey conditions. Participants rated the feature centrality, proportional...
Show moreThe present study sought to determine the direction and degree to which occupations representative of all major occupational categories are viewed as age-typed (i.e., more appropriate for older or younger workers). The 60 occupations examined were the 12 most common and familiar occupations in each of five occupational categories used by the U.S. Census Bureau. I randomly assigned 365 participants to one of three survey conditions. Participants rated the feature centrality, proportional representation, normative age, and optimal performance age of 20 of the 60 occupations and the age-type of 20 different occupations. Results showed that participants reliably rated the occupations on a continuum from highly young-typed to highly old-typed. Occupations viewed as most appropriate for older workers included psychologists (clinical), bus drivers, and librarians, whereas those viewed as most appropriate for younger workers included recreation and fitness workers, bartenders, and hosts/hostesses. Interestingly, despite commonly held stereotypes that older workers are less competent than younger workers (Kite, Stockdale, Whitley, (&) Johnson, 2005), old-typed occupations were viewed as requiring higher competence than those viewed as young-typed. Additionally, roughly three times as many workers are needed to fill the most young-typed jobs compared to the most old-typed jobs (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Both of these findings suggest problems for an increasingly aging workforce (Administration of Aging, 2010). I also found that perceived proportional representation accounted for 79% of the variance in predicting the age-type of occupations. This suggests that people rely on general impressions of current worker ages, which supports career timetables theory's approach to the formation of occupational age-type. Implications for theory and research are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0004156, ucf:49046
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004156

Title: Cultural Differences in Forgiveness: Fatalism, Trust Violations, and Trust Repair Efforts in Interpersonal Collaboration.
Creator: Wildman, Jessica, Salas, Eduardo, Fritzsche, Barbara, Burke, Shawn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Mistakes and betrayals can cause developing interpersonal trust between parties to be broken, and damaged trust can have serious negative impacts on relationships, such as withdrawal from group interaction or the enactment of revenge. Research has suggested that the use of apologies helps to repair damaged trust. However, this research is almost exclusively based in westernized populations and has not begun to explore any cross-cultural differences. Therefore, the primary goal of this...
Show moreMistakes and betrayals can cause developing interpersonal trust between parties to be broken, and damaged trust can have serious negative impacts on relationships, such as withdrawal from group interaction or the enactment of revenge. Research has suggested that the use of apologies helps to repair damaged trust. However, this research is almost exclusively based in westernized populations and has not begun to explore any cross-cultural differences. Therefore, the primary goal of this comparative cross-national laboratory study was to examine if, and how, the effectiveness of trust repair efforts differs across cultures. The effectiveness of three manipulated trust repair strategies (no response, apology, and account) was tested using students from universities in the United States (U.S.) and in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The results of the study indicate that fatalism, or the belief that events in life are meant to occur, was negatively related to initial trust and positively related to initial distrust toward one's collaborative partner. It was also found that higher levels of fatalism were associated with more severe trust damage after a trust violation. Regarding the trust repair strategies, accounts were more effective at repairing trust than no response for high fatalism participants whereas apologies were more effective than accounts at reducing distrust after a violation for low fatalism participants, providing partial support for the idea that trust repair strategies are more effective when matched to the cultural self-construal of the victim. Finally, initial distrust and trust directly after the violation were predictive of taking revenge on the other player. Implications are discussed along with the study limitations and suggestions for future research.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0004178, ucf:49080
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004178

Title: Truly Accomplished: Effectiveness of a Measurement and Feedback Approach to Lifestyle Change.
Creator: Wright, Natalie, Pritchard, Robert, Fritzsche, Barbara, Sims, Valerie, Roth, Colin, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Individuals' personal improvement efforts are pervasive and the benefits associated with successful self-improvement are both tangible (e.g., healthier lifestyles, more intimate relationships) and intangible (e.g., personal accomplishment, enhanced well-being). As evidenced by research on work-family spillover, self-improvement also has important implications for organizations, as there is considerable crossover between work and non-work domains. The current study tested the effectiveness of...
Show moreIndividuals' personal improvement efforts are pervasive and the benefits associated with successful self-improvement are both tangible (e.g., healthier lifestyles, more intimate relationships) and intangible (e.g., personal accomplishment, enhanced well-being). As evidenced by research on work-family spillover, self-improvement also has important implications for organizations, as there is considerable crossover between work and non-work domains. The current study tested the effectiveness of Truly Accomplished, an intervention designed to help individuals develop personalized systems for measuring and improving behavior, and examined the extent to which the outcomes associated with such behavior change exhibit positive spillover effects into the workplace. Participants (N = 44) experienced large gains in effectiveness (d = 2.93). Effectiveness gain was predicted by conscientiousness (r = .40), core self-evaluations (r = .42), and psychological safety (r = .64). Learning goal orientation and performance goal orientation interacted with perceived goal difficulty to predict effectiveness gain. Overall effectiveness gain was negatively related to stress and positively related to future change efficacy, job-related efficacy, and satisfaction with the intervention. Job satisfaction and job efficacy increased following feedback, providing some evidence of spillover.Results have implications for individual behavior and attitude change, and its impact seems to extend into subjective well-being above and beyond actual behavior change. Evidence of spillover has implications for organizations, suggesting that TA may be used as a mechanism through which job-related outcomes can be improved.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004231, ucf:48998
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004231

discrimination (5)	+ -
ageism (4)	+ -
culture (4)	+ -
gender (4)	+ -
Feedback (3)	+ -

Motivation (3)	+ -
age (3)	+ -
age discrimination (3)	+ -
age-type (3)	+ -
diversity (3)	+ -
job attitudes (3)	+ -
meta-analysis (3)	+ -
teams (3)	+ -
Performance (2)	+ -
affect (2)	+ -
age stereotypes (2)	+ -
career development (2)	+ -
hiring (2)	+ -
intersectionality (2)	+ -
job stereotypes (2)	+ -
leadership (2)	+ -
mentoring (2)	+ -
multiple group membership (2)	+ -
older workers (2)	+ -
organizational justice (2)	+ -
performance (2)	+ -
stereotype threat (2)	+ -
stereotypes (2)	+ -
trust (2)	+ -
ADEA (1)	+ -

ETD Collection (44)	+ -
Honors Collection (5)	+ -

English (48)	+ -
Engilsh (1)	+ -

University of Central Florida (49)	+ -
Fritzsche, Barbara (48)	+ -
Joseph, Dana (16)	+ -
Burke, Shawn (7)	+ -
Jentsch, Kimberly (7)	+ -

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