Relationships Between University Characteristics and Early Job Outcomes of Accountants

This study undertook an examination of relationships among university characteristics and job offers, employment status, job attitudes, and job performance of newly-hired accounting graduates. It was found that university characteristics are generally not related to job attitudes and job performance. A few characteristics correlated with the total number of job offers, and characteristics associated with wealth and status correlated with receiving job offers from prestigious accounting firms. Several explanations are suggested for the results—including threshold effects, prestige effects, and influence of the work environment.Nous avons examiné les rapports existant entre les caractéristiques universitaires et les offres d'emplois, le statut à l'embauche, les attitudes et aptitudes professionnelles de comptables diplômés nouvellement embauchés. Les caractéristiques universitaires n'ont généralement pas de rapport avec les attitudes et aptitudes professionnelles. Certaines caractéristiques s'appliquent à l'ensemble des offres d'emplois; principalement d'autres, liées à l'argent et au standig permettent de faire le lien avec l'embauche par les bureaux les plus prestigieux. Nous fournissons plusieurs explications de ces résultats et nous analysons les effets de transition, les effets de prestige et l'influence de /'environment professionel

biologically costly altruism depends on emotional closeness among step but not half or full sibling

We studied altruistic behaviors of varying biological cost (high, medium, and low) among siblings of varying genetic relatedness (full, half, and step). In agreement with inclusive fitness theory, the relative importance of either reliable (such as co-residence) or heuristic (such as emotional closeness) kinship cues depended crucially on the costs of help. When help did not endanger the altruist's life, thus making reciprocation possible, emotional closeness was the strongest predictor of altruism; perceived physical and psychological similarity to the sibling amplified altruistic behavior via their association with emotional closeness. When help endangered the altruist's life, thus making reciprocation unlikely, the strongest predictor of altruism was the ancestrally valid kinship cue of co-residence duration. Emotional closeness predicted costly altruism only for step siblings; its effects were non-significant when siblings were genetically related. Our findings support the idea that emotional closeness promotes costly altruistic behavior by serving as a surrogate kinship cue when more reliable cues are missing

The evolutionary mismatch hypothesis: Implications for psychological science

Ministry of Education, Singapore under its Academic Research Funding Tier

Altruism and Reproductive Limitations

We examined how different types of reproductive limitations — functional (schizoid personality disorder and schizophrenia), physical (malnutrition), and sexual (bisexuality and homosexuality) — influenced altruistic intentions toward hypothetical target individuals of differing degrees of relatedness (r = 0, .25, and .50). Participants were 312 undergraduate students who completed a questionnaire on altruism toward hypothetical friends, half-siblings, and siblings with these different types of reproductive limitations. Genetic relatedness and reproductive limitations did not influence altruistic decision-making when the cost of altruism was low but did as the cost of altruismincreased, with participants being more likely to help a sibling over a half-sibling and a half-sibling over a friend. Participants also indicated they were more likely to help a healthy (control) person over people with a reproductive limitation. Of the three types of reproductive limitations, functional limitations had the strongest effect on altruistic decision-making, indicating that people were less likely to help those who exhibit abnormal social behavior

The Employment Interview as a Sociometric Selection Technique

Argues that the employment interview continues to be used because it serves organizational functions other than the prediction of job performance. A review of research on the interview suggests that it is used by organizations as a form of sociometric selection; 3 features of the traditional interview give it a sociometric quality. The use of sociometric techniques to diagnose, restructure, and form new groups can benefit an organization; a faculty job interview process illustrates the group nature of the process. Although the employment interview can allow the organization to experience the benefits associated with sociometric selection, including increased job satisfaction and communication, this type of selection can also be dysfunctional (e.g., by leading to a lack of diversity in the organization)

Data from: Why we need more nature at work: effects of natural elements and sunlight on employee mental health and work attitudes

This study investigated the effects of natural elements and direct and indirect sunlight exposure on employee mental health and work attitudes. We recruited participants via an online panel from the United States and India, and analyzed data from 444 employees. Natural elements and sunlight exposure related positively to job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and negatively to depressed mood and anxiety. Direct sunlight was a dominant predictor of anxiety; indirect sunlight was a dominant predictor of depressed mood, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Natural elements buffered the relationship between role stressors and job satisfaction, depressed mood, and anxiety. We also found that depressed mood partially mediated the relationship between natural elements and job satisfaction. We discuss scientific and policy implications of these findings