Using Archival Data for I-O Research: Advantages, Pitfalls, Sources, and Examples

Two particular sets of experiences sparked our interest in writing this TIP article. The first was our increasing difficulty getting access to “new” organization- based samples. Depending on the topic and commitment involved, many organizations appear too leery and/or too strapped these days to allow for primary data collection. In addition, we have all experienced the disappointment of spending numerous hours on research proposals and meetings with organizational personnel, only to have the “plug pulled” at the last minute on a promising line of data collection. Conversely, we have also had experience with researchers in organizations who are willing and interested in partnering to analyze existing company data. A second experience that sparked our interest was supervising graduate student theses and dissertations. Students likely have even more difficulty than faculty in gaining access to organization-based samples. As a result, they often end up collecting survey data on “working students” or other campusbased convenience samples. Although we realize that “working students” may often be appropriate subjects, depending on the research questions being asked, it has been our experience that students often resort to this strategy even when it may not be appropriate, once they find they can’t obtain access to organization-based samples. Given these experiences, we thought a short TIP article outlining some of the key issues of using archival data for I-O research would be of interest to many TIP readers. We by no means foresee (or propose) the use of archival data sets becoming the principal “data collection strategy” within I-O psychology. Rather, we see this as an underutilized tool to be added to current and future I-O psychologists’ methodological toolbox. Given our extensive experiences working with a variety of sources of archival data, we realize there are numerous issues about which someone new to the area needs to be aware. Given the necessary brevity of a TIP article, we refer readers to key references cited throughout the rest of the paper for a detailed discussion of the issues raised below

Using social media content for screening in recruitment and selection: pros and cons

The article considers the arguments that have been made in defence of social media screening as well as issues that arise and may effectively erode the reliability and utility of such data for employers. First, the authors consider existing legal frameworks and guidelines that exist in the UK and the USA, as well as the subsequent ethical concerns that arise when employers access and use social networking content for employment purposes. Second, several arguments in favour of the use of social networking content are made, each of which is considered from several angles, including concerns about impression management, bias and discrimination, data protection and security. Ultimately, the current state of knowledge does not provide a definite answer as to whether information from social networks is helpful in recruitment and selection

Virtuality at work and social media use among dispersed workers: promoting network ties, shared vision and trust

Purpose: Technology and globalization of services have facilitated the digitalization of many processes at work. However, their impact on social capital is unknown. Thus, the goal of the current study was to examine the relationships between virtuality in the workplace and social capital. Design: Using an online survey, we recruited 152 female student workers using an opportunity sampling approach. Findings: Participants who used social media at work (n = 112) reported higher social capital overall than participants who did not use any social media to communicate with colleagues at work (n = 40). This difference also presented itself in terms of the social capital subscales (network ties, shared vision, and trust). Mediation analysis conducted with users of social media at work (n = 112) revealed that social media use was a significant mediator in the relationship between virtuality at work and social capital overall (partial mediation). Subsequent analyses with the subscales for virtuality and social capital suggested full mediation of the relationship in most instances (with the exception of work practices). Originality/value: This is the first study to examine the relationship between virtuality, social media, and social capital at work. The result of this study suggests that social media use at work between colleagues can play a significant role in promoting social capital in workplaces that are heavily reliant on technological application to support interactions at work and feature geographical and temporal dispersion

Perceived interviewee anxiety and performance in telephone interviews

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on the role of interviewee anxiety as a predictor of perceived hireability (Study 1, n=82) and job suitability (Study 2, n=74). Design/methodology/approach Using an experimental design, participants were randomly allocated to one of two conditions (an audio recording of either a confident or anxious job candidate with identical scripts) and asked to take the role of an interviewer. Findings: The anxious interviewee (played by an actor) was consistently rated as less hireable (in a combined sample based on Studies and 2), less suitable to the job and received less favorable hiring recommendations (as assessed in Study 2) than the confident interviewee (played by the same actor). Research limitations/implications: The study was conducted with students who may have less interview experience than experienced interviewers. Practical implications: The results suggest that anxiety has a negative biasing effect on perceived hireability and job suitability ratings. In other words, the behavioral manipulation of anxiety affects hireability ratings, independent of any subjective assessment of anxiety. Originality/value: The findings provide evidence of an anxiety bias in telephone interview settings. The results highlight the importance of considering anxiety cues when training employment interviewers

Characterization of Ichthyoplankton in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico from Seamap Plankton Surveys, 1982-1999

Data for 61 selected ichthyoplankton taxa from 1,166 bongo and neuston net samples at 72 stations comprising the USGS Northeastern Gulf of Mexico Ichthyoplankton Synopsis (UNIS) study area were analyzed. These data were taken during annual spring and fall Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP) Gulfwide plankton surveys over the period 1982-1999. The UNIS study area contributed disproportionately more fish eggs, total larvae and net-caught zooplankton biomass to survey totals than would be expected from the number of samples taken in the study area. This pattern was more evident during spring than fall surveys and is probably related to the close proximity of UNIS study area stations to the Mississippi River and the inshore penetration of nutrient rich deep slope water via the DeSoto Canyon. Statistical comparison of the percent frequency of occurrence of the 61 selected taxa revealed that the larvae of many were taken significantly more often in the UNIS study area than expected based on their occurrence Gulfwide. Thirteen of these taxa were taken more often in the study area during the season and collecting gear combination that accounted for the highest catches. These taxa represented fishes from mesopelagic, continental shelf, and reef assemblages reflecting the wide diversity of habitats available in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Distinct distribution patterns were observed among larvae in the UNIS study area that appear to be associated with the presence of the DeSoto Canyon. The consistent presence of fish eggs throughout the UNIS study area at mean abundances exceeding 100 eggs under 10 m² sea surface indicates that this region of the Gulf of Mexico is an important spawning area

Trans-Regulation of Mouse Meiotic Recombination Hotspots by Rcr1

Meiotic recombination is required for the orderly segregation of chromosomes during meiosis and for providing genetic diversity among offspring. Among mammals, as well as yeast and higher plants, recombination preferentially occurs at highly delimited chromosomal sites 1–2 kb long known as hotspots. Although considerable progress has been made in understanding the roles various proteins play in carrying out the molecular events of the recombination process, relatively little is understood about the factors controlling the location and relative activity of mammalian recombination hotspots. To search for trans-acting factors controlling the positioning of recombination events, we compared the locations of crossovers arising in an 8-Mb segment of a 100-Mb region of mouse Chromosome 1 (Chr 1) when the longer region was heterozygous C57BL/6J (B6) × CAST/EiJ (CAST) and the remainder of the genome was either similarly heterozygous or entirely homozygous B6. The lack of CAST alleles in the remainder of the genome resulted in profound changes in hotspot activity in both females and males. Recombination activity was lost at several hotspots; new, previously undetected hotspots appeared; and still other hotspots remained unaffected, indicating the presence of distant trans-acting gene(s) whose CAST allele(s) activate or suppress the activity of specific hotspots. Testing the activity of three activated hotspots in sperm samples from individual male progeny of two genetic crosses, we identified a single trans-acting regulator of hotspot activity, designated Rcr1, that is located in a 5.30-Mb interval (11.74–17.04 Mb) on Chr 17. Using an Escherichia coli cloning assay to characterize the molecular products of recombination at two of these hotspots, we found that Rcr1 controls the appearance of both crossover and noncrossover gene conversion events, indicating that it likely controls the sites of the double-strand DNA breaks that initiate the recombination process

A Dopaminergic Gene Cluster in the Prefrontal Cortex Predicts Performance Indicative of General Intelligence in Genetically Heterogeneous Mice

Background: Genetically heterogeneous mice express a trait that is qualitatively and psychometrically analogous to general intelligence in humans, and as in humans, this trait co-varies with the processing efficacy of working memory (including its dependence on selective attention). Dopamine signaling in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been established to play a critical role in animals ’ performance in both working memory and selective attention tasks. Owing to this role of the PFC in the regulation of working memory, here we compared PFC gene expression profiles of 60 genetically diverse CD-1 mice that exhibited a wide range of general learning abilities (i.e., aggregate performance across five diverse learning tasks). Methodology/Principal Findings: Animals ’ general cognitive abilities were first determined based on their aggregate performance across a battery of five diverse learning tasks. With a procedure designed to minimize false positive identifications, analysis of gene expression microarrays (comprised of <25,000 genes) identified a small number (,20) of genes that were differentially expressed across animals that exhibited fast and slow aggregate learning abilities. Of these genes, one functional cluster was identified, and this cluster (Darpp-32, Drd1a, and Rgs9) is an established modulator of dopamine signaling. Subsequent quantitative PCR found that expression of these dopaminegic genes plus one vascular gene (Nudt6) were significantly correlated with individual animal’s general cognitive performance. Conclusions/Significance: These results indicate that D1-mediated dopamine signaling in the PFC, possibly through it