The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Workplace Humor

The benefits of humor in the workplace have been known for decades. In fact, human resource professionals often cite a sense of humor as one of the most important characteristics that an employee can possess (Lange & Houron, 2009), and many organizations have begun to create cultures that infuse humor into the workplace. Positive humor has been found to improve attitudes, performance, and well-being of employees (Duncan, 1982; Martin et al., 2003; Romero & Cruthirds, 2006; Sherman, 1988). However, negatively perceived humor in the workplace can result in deleterious effects on those same areas (Tumkaya, 2007). In this study, I investigate the effects of emotional intelligence (EI) on sense of humor and on the responses to two types of ambiguous humor in the workplace: teasing and self-denigration. Teasing is a form of humor where the speaker makes an aggressive or insulting comment about an other while relying on cues to indicate to the listener that the comment is not meant to be taken seriously, and the burden falls to the listener to interpret the comment. In self-denigrating humor, the speaker makes an aggressive or insulting comment about themselves while relying on cues to indicate to the listener that the comment is not meant to be taken seriously, and the burden of interpretation once again falls on the listener. Short videos depicting instances of teasing and self-denigrating humor in the workplace were viewed and interpreted by 669 participants who were measured on EI and sense of humor. Results indicate that an individual’s EI influences their sense of humor and responses to ambiguous humor. This provides further support to the body of extant literature demonstrating the value of EI in the workplace

Population Density of the Virginia Opossum (Didelphis Virginiana) and Associations of Occurrence with Selected Habitat Variables

Population density of the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) and associations of occurrence and density with selected habitat variables were studied at Meeman Biological Station from 2000-2006 and 2008-2010. Mark/recapture techniques were utilized to estimate density. Associations of density to habitat variables were assessed using a geographic information system. Density ranged from 1 Virginia opossum per 9.5 ha to 1 per 3.5 ha with a mean of 1 per 6.9 ha. Average precipitation the year prior was significantly correlated with density. Winter and spring precipitation significantly correlated with same-year density. Fall precipitation significantly correlated with following-year density. There were no correlations between temperature and density. Distance to nearest field and nearest building and length of forest/field edge within a 75-meter perimeter were significantly correlated with capture success. Captures on ridges were significantly fewer than on slopes or in hollows, and there was no interaction between location of traps and sex

A Meta-Analysis of the Antecedents and Outcomes of Workplace Incivility

Relationships between incivility and antecedents and outcomes were meta-analyzed. Results showed that incivility was associated with dispositional and situational antecedents, but relationships were stronger for situational predictors. Incivility additionally had a stronger relationship with many employee outcomes in comparison to the relationships found for other forms of mistreatment

Facilitating Faculty Development to Promote Self-Directed Learning

In the U. S., only 63% of college students complete their degree, making it critical for universities to explore interventions that encourage student success. The foundational learning activity for college success is studying. However, several studies reveal that students lack effective study habits, especially regarding the quality and quantity of time-on-task. We will share a model of faculty development that tackles this challenge through course and assignment revisions that promote self-directed learning, metacognition, and generally improving students’ learning approaches

Utilizing Emerging Designs and Practices to Improve Student Learning

In this session, we will share an overview of the current framework for understanding student learning approaches and give participants an opportunity to reflect on their own practices and how that may impact students. We will then discuss innovative ideas that can be transported into classrooms in order to improve learning approaches, such as metacognition development, assessment adjustments, study skills training, and becoming aware of instructor’s approaches to teaching

Secrecy and Transparency in Nonprofit Organizations: If a Nonprofit Prefers Secrecy, What Does it Want to Hide?

In this paper, the authors explore the resistance of many--especially large--nonprofit organizations to the practice of transparency. We argue that this resistance reflects the stubborn attitude of elitists who usually govern the nonprofits that ordinary individuals need no more rights and information than the elite class cares to offer them. Organizational leaders withhold comprehensible information about the nonprofits’ finances and records of the boards’ policy deliberations. Suppression of such information denies prospective donors the knowledge that would allow them to make optimal decisions about where to invest their charitable donations. The authors present a summary of 85 Georgia charities to identify independent variables that are related to the charities’ willingness to publicize minutes of their board meetings. Only one independent variable has a statistically significant relationship with the willingness to publicize minutes: That is the availability of audited financial statements on the website. It is difficult to justify donors’ submission of donations to charities that are less than generous in sharing with the public honest information about their operations