Mood, Attitudes, And Memory

In the first two studies, subjects were induced into a positive, negative or neutral mood using the Velten mood induction procedure, and then exposed to information about an attitude object they knew little about. According to Bower\u27s mood-congruity hypothesis, subjects in a good mood should remember more of the positive information, whereas subjects in a negative mood should remember more of the negative information. Because of this differential recall of material, subjects in a good mood should form a more favourable attitude than subjects in a negative mood. The material that subjects remembered did not conform to these predictions. Still, mood influenced the attitudes subjects formed. In the first study, subjects in a good mood showed more positive attitude change than other subjects, while in the second study, subjects in a negative mood reported a more negative attitude. Finally, when given a list of the original statements, subjects in the first experiment evaluated them in a manner consistent with their mood. These results are consistent with predictions derived from the reinforcement-affect model.;In the last two studies, the effect of mood on existing attitudes was examined. In the third study, subjects were divided into three attitude groups (positive, neutral and negative) on the basis of their responses to a pre-experimental attitude measure. Under the influence of the Velten mood cards, subjects were asked to rate their attitude toward being religious and to list any advantages and disadvantages of being religious. Contrary to Bower\u27s model, subjects in a good mood did not recall more advantages nor did subjects in a bad mood recall more disadvantages. Still, among subjects who were neutral towards religion and who rated their attitude toward being religious before listing their beliefs, elated subjects expressed a more positive attitude than others. In the fourth study, in which extreme attitude subjects were excluded, subjects in a negative mood showed more negative attitude change than other subjects. Evaluation ratings, whether of statements subjects generated (study 3) or from a list of statements provided by the experimenter (study 4), were not influenced by mood

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Situational and Dispositional Predictors of Nurse Manager Burnout: A time-lagged Analysis

Background: Burnout among nurses is a serious condition that threatens their own health and that of their patients. In current health care settings, nurses are particularly at risk for burnout given the increased patient acuity and the worsening nursing shortage. Aim: This study examined the influence of effort-reward imbalance, a situational variable, and core self-evaluation, a dispositional variable, on nurse managers\u27 burnout levels over a 1-year period. Methods: A predictive longitudinal survey design was used to examine the relationships described in the model. One hundred and thirty-four nurse managers responded to a mail survey at two points in time. Results: As hypothesized, both personal and situational factors influenced nurse manager burnout over a 1-year time frame. Although burnout levels at Time 1 accounted for significant variance in emotional exhaustion levels 1 year later (β = 0.355), nurses\u27 effort-reward imbalance (β = 0.371) and core self-evaluations (β = −0.166) explained significant additional amounts of variance in burnout 1 year later. Conclusion: Both personal and situational factors contribute to nurse manager burnout over time. Implications for nursing management: Managers must consider personal and contextual factors when creating work environments that prevent burnout and foster positive health among nurses at work

Testing a Multi-level Model of Staff Nurse Organizational Commitment

The aim of this study was to test a multilevel model linking unit-level leader- member exchange quality and structural empowerment to nurses\u27 psychological empowerment and organizational commitment at the individual level of analysis

Nursing Professional Practice Environments: Setting the Stage for Constructive Conflict Resolution and Work Effectiveness

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of nurses\u27 perceived professional practice environment on their quality of nursing conflict management approaches and ultimately their perceptions of unit effectiveness from the perspective of Deutsch\u27s theory of constructive conflict management. Background: Rising reports of hostility and conflict among Canadian nurses are a concern to nurses\u27 health and the viability of effective patient care delivery. However, research on the situational factors that influence nurses\u27 ability to apply effective conflict resolution skills that lead to positive results in practice is limited. Methods: A nonexperimental, predictive design was used in a sample of 678 registered nurses working in community hospitals within a large metropolitan area in Ontario. Results: The results supported a modified version of the hypothesized model [chi2(1) = 16.25, Goodness of Fit = 0.99, Comparative Fit Index = 0.98, Root-Mean-Square Error of Approximation = 0.15] linking professional practice environment and core self-evaluation to nurses\u27 conflict management and, ultimately, unit effectiveness. Professional practice environment, conflict management, and core-self evaluation explained approximately 46.6% of the variance in unit effectiveness. Conclusion: Positive professional practice environments and high core self-evaluations predicted nurses\u27 constructive conflict management and, in turn, greater unit effectiveness

Situational and Dispositional Influences on Nurses\u27 Workplace Well-being: The Role of Empowering Unit Leadership

Background: Unit-level leadership and structural empowerment play key roles in creating healthy work environments, yet few researchers have examined these contextual effects on nurses\u27 well-being. Objectives: The aim of this study was to test a multilevel model of structural empowerment examining the effect of nursing unit leadership quality and structural empowerment on nurses\u27 experiences of burnout and job satisfaction and to examine the effect of a personal dispositional variable, core self-evaluation, on these nurse experiences. Methods: Nurses (n = 3,156) from 217 hospital units returned surveys that included measures of leader-member exchange, structural empowerment, burnout, core self-evaluation, and job satisfaction. Multilevel structural equation modeling was used to test the model. Results: Nurses\u27 shared perceptions of leader-member exchange quality on their units positively influenced their shared perceptions of unit structural empowerment (Level 2), which resulted in significantly higher levels of individual nurse job satisfaction (Level 1). Unit-level leader-member exchange quality also directly influenced individual nurse job satisfaction. Unit leader-member exchange quality and structural empowerment influenced emotional exhaustion and cynicism differentially. Higher unit-level leader-member exchange quality was associated with lower cynicism; higher unit-level structural empowerment was associated with lower emotional exhaustion. At Level 1, higher core self-evaluation was associated with lower levels of both emotional exhaustion and cynicism, both of which were associated with lower job satisfaction. Discussion: This study provides a theoretical understanding of how unit leadership affects both unit- and individual-level outcomes

New Graduate Burnout: The Impact of Professional Practice Environment, Workplace Civility, and Empowerment

The article presents the study on the impact of professional practice environments, civil working relationships, and empowerment on new graduates who experience burnout. Findings reveal the significance of working environments which facilitate graduates to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired in their educational programs. Several factors affecting job satisfaction of a graduate are also mentioned including good employer- employee relations, job stress and labor turnovers

Context Matters: The Impact of Unit Leadership and Empowerment on Nurses’ Organizational Commitment

Objective: The aim of this study was to test a multilevel model linking unit-level leader-member exchange quality and structural empowerment to nurses\u27 psychological empowerment and organizational commitment at the individual level of analysis. Background: Few studies have examined the contextual effects of unit leadership on individual nurse outcomes. Workplace empowerment has been related to retention outcomes such as organizational commitment in several studies, but few have studied the impact of specific unit characteristics within which nurses work on these outcomes. Methods: We surveyed 3,156 nurses in 217 hospital units to test the multilevel model. Results: A multilevel path analysis revealed significant individual and contextual effects on nurses\u27 organizational commitment. Both unit-level leader-member exchange quality and structural empowerment had significant direct effects on individual-level psychological empowerment and organizational commitment. Psychological empowerment mediated the relationship between core self-evaluations and organizational commitment at the individual level of analysis. Conclusions: The contextual effects of positive supervisor relationships and their influence on empowering working conditions at the unit level and, subsequently, nurses\u27 organizational commitment highlight the importance of leadership for creating conditions that result in a committed nursing workforce

Predictors of New Graduate Nurses\u27 Workplace Well-being: Testing the Job Demands-resources Model

BACKGROUND:: New graduate nurses currently experience a stressful transition into the workforce, resulting in high levels of burnout and job turnover in their first year of practice. PURPOSE:: This study tested a theoretical model of new graduate nurses\u27 worklife derived from the job demands-resources model to better understand how job demands (workload and bullying), job resources (job control and supportive professional practice environments), and a personal resource (psychological capital) combine to influence new graduate experiences of burnout and work engagement and, ultimately, health and job outcomes. METHODOLOGY/APPROACH:: A descriptive correlational design was used to test the hypothesized model in a sample of newly graduated nurses (N = 420) working in acute care hospitals in Ontario, Canada. Data were collected from July to November 2009. Participants were mailed questionnaires to their home address using the Total Design Method to improve response rates. All variables were measured using standardized questionnaires, and structural equation modeling was used to test the model. FINDINGS:: The final model fit statistics partially supported the original hypothesized model. In the final model, job demands (workload and bullying) predicted burnout and, subsequently, poor mental health. Job resources (supportive practice environment and control) predicted work engagement and, subsequently, lower turnover intentions. Burnout also was a significant predictor of turnover intent (a crossover effect). Furthermore, personal resources (psychological capital) significantly influenced both burnout and work engagement. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS:: The model suggests that managerial strategies targeted at specific job demands and resources can create workplace environments that promote work engagement and prevent burnout to support the retention and well-being of the new graduate nurse population