Organizational commitment: towards an integrated concept linking the attitudinal and behavioral approaches

This study examines a set of attitudinal and behavioral variables in order to develop an integrative concept of organizational commitment. Structural Equation Modeling was utilized to assess a possible conceptual overlap between organizational commitment and other related constructs. Five measures were employed: the affective scale; the continuance scale; the behavioral intentions to organizational commitment scale and the behavioral intentions to remain in the organization scale. Obtained results (N=1,869) indicate that: 1) The continuance dimension does not integrate the concept of organizational commitment; 2) Attitudinal organizational commitment is a unidimensional construct, constituted only by the affective dimension; and 3) The intentions to remain in the organization are not a component of the organizational commitment. We conclude that organizational commitment is best described as a sort of social attachment established between the worker and an organization, composed largely of an affective component which predisposes individuals to assume proactive behaviors toward an organization

Transcultural adaptation of the Emotion Matching Task: an emotion neuropsychological assessment

Emotions play a central role in children’s relationships. Deficits in emotional understanding have been associated with several neuropsychiatric disorders. In Brazil, however, few psychological instruments are available to assess young children’s emotional development. The objective of the present study was to make a transcultural adaptation of the Emotion Matching Task (EMT). The EMT was translated and adapted by a team of bilingual researches and then back-translated to English. The preliminary versions were assessed by EMT’s authors and by Brazilians specialized judges. The final version was applied in a sample of 50 children between three and six years of age and answered by nine judges in three Brazilian states. The results indicate good semantic equivalence and good agreement with the answers provided (κ= 0.88, Z=95.2, p<0.001). The final version of the EMT was considered appropriate and satisfactory

Reconhecimento de Expressões Faciais de Emoções: Padronização de Imagens do Teste de Conhecimento Emocional

 Emotions play a significant role in human interaction and facial expressions are very important route to communicate emotion. The aims of the present study were to provide standards of the 83 photographs with facial expressions of basic emotions that compose the Emotion Matching Task (EMT) for the Brazilian population and compare the results with the standards obtained for the North-American sample, analyzing cultural similarities and differences. The subjects of this study were 80 undergraduate students from Salvador (Bahia, Brazil). Each photograph, presented sequentially through visual projection, was judged in terms of the emotion that best matched the facial expression. The results showed a good agreement level in the judgment of the photographs. The Brazilian and North-American samples judged 95.2% of the images as expressing the same emotion. The present study corroborates the hypothesis on the universality of basic emotions, provides standardized images or the use of the EMT in the Brazilian population and reveals cultural differences in the intensity judgment of emotional expressions. As emoções possuem papel fundamental na socialização humana e as expressões faciais são uma importante via para a sua comunicação. O objetivo deste estudo foi obter dados de padronização para população brasileira das 83 fotografias de expressões faciais de emoções básicas que compõem o Teste de Conhecimento Emocional (EMT) e compará-los com os dados da amostra estadunidense, analisando semelhanças e diferenças culturais. Participaram 80 estudantes universitários da cidade de Salvador (Bahia, Brasil). Cada fotografia, apresentada sequencialmente através de projeção visual, foi julgada em termos de qual emoção melhor correspondia à expressão facial. Os resultados mostram bom nível de concordância no julgamento das imagens. As amostras brasileira e norte-americana julgaram 95,2% das imagens como expressando a mesma emoção. O presente estudo corrobora a hipótese de universalidade das emoções básicas, fornece imagens padronizadas para uso do EMT na população brasileira e discute diferenças culturais quanto ao julgamento da intensidade das expressões emocionais. Las emociones poseen un papel fundamental en la socialización humana y las expresiones faciales son una importante vía para comunicarlas. El objetivo de este estudio fue obtener informaciones sobre estandarización, en la población brasilera, de las 83 fotografías de expresiones faciales de emociones básicas que están presentes en el Test de Conocimiento Emocional (EMT) y comparar con los datos de la muestra estadounidense, analizando las semejanzas y diferencias culturales. Participaron 80 estudiantes universitarios de la cuidad de Salvador (Bahia, Brasil). Cada fotografía fue presentada secuencialmente a través de proyección visual y se solicitó al participante indicar cual emoción mejor correspondía a la expresión facial. Los resultados revelaron un buen nivel de concordancia en el juicio de las imágenes. Las muestras brasilera y estadounidense juzgaron 95,2% de las imágenes como expresando la misma emoción. El presente estudio proporciona evidencias en soporte a la universalidad de las expresiones faciales de las emociones básicas, fornecen imágenes estandarizadas para la población brasilera y apuntan diferencias culturales cuanto a la atribución de la intensidad de las expresiones emocionales

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

International audienceIn 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field