A Behavioral Interpretation of Situation Awareness: Prospects for Organizational Behavior Management

Situation awareness (SA) is a construct used in human factors research and application. It is typically employed in the design of equipment to facilitate rapid and adaptive responding in dynamic and high-risk environments. Although the theory backing the SA concept is not entirely compatible with behavioral philosophy, components of the analysis and measures employed in SA work can benefit researchers and practitioners in Organizational Behavior Management (OBM). The present discussion includes (a) the definition and context for SA, (b) a behavioral interpretation of SA, (c) the assessment tools used in SA work, and (d) the relevance of SA to behavioral research. This discussion is pertinent to behavior analysts who work in industries where SA terminology is used and seek analytic tools to guide the design of effective interventions.     

The Performance Effects of an Ability-Based Approach to Goal Assignment

Some organizations have begun to target their goal-setting method more closely to the ability levels of their employees. In this article, we report the results of a laboratory study of 138 undergraduate students, which shows that these “ability-based” goals are more effective at improving performance than a “one goal for all” approach, where everyone is assigned the same performance target. Results from repeated measure tests and other analysis of variance tests show that lower-ability individuals in the ability-based goal condition outperform those in the one goal for all condition. Lower- and moderate-ability participants in the one goal for all condition also experienced larger decreases in performance in later rounds.     

A Goal-Setting and Feedback Intervention to Increase ID-Checking Behavior: An Assessment of Social Validity and Behavioral Impact

A participative goal-setting and feedback intervention increased cashiers' identification-checking behavior at a large grocery store. The cashiers' identification-checking percentages increased from 0.2% at baseline to 9.7% during the intervention phase and then declined to 2.3% during withdrawal. At the control store, the percentages of identification-checked purchases were 0.3%, 0.4%, and 0.7%, respectively, during the A-B-A phases at the intervention store. A comprehensive social-validity assessment showed ID-checking to be accepted by both cashiers and customers.     

Making the Housing Unit Method Work: An Evaluation of 2010 Population Estimates in Florida

The housing unit (HU) method—in which population estimates are derived from estimates of occupied HUs—is the most commonly used method for making small-area population estimates in the United States. It is widely used because it is conceptually simple, can utilize a wide variety of data sources, can be applied at virtually any level of geography, and often produces reliable estimates. Yet the HU method is more nearly a general approach to population estimation than it is a specific methodology. In this paper, we describe and evaluate several data sources and estimation techniques that can be used in applying the HU method. Using a set of county and subcounty estimates produced by the Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) at the University of Florida for April 1, 2010, we analyze errors by population size and growth rate, calculate errors for each of the three components of the HU method, and investigate the accuracy of estimates based on several different data sources and estimation techniques. We compare the accuracy of the 2010 estimates with previous BEBR estimates and estimates produced by the U.S. Census Bureau. We conclude that although some data sources and estimation techniques work better than others, the HU method can be tailored to produce reliable population estimates for a wide variety of geographic areas.     

Perceived Social Support and School Well-Being Among Chinese Early and Middle Adolescents: The Mediational Role of Self-Esteem

This study examined the mediational role of self-esteem in accounting for the empirical link between perceived social support (parents, friends, and teachers) and school well-being (school satisfaction, positive affect in school, and negative affect in school). Participants were from China and were 221 early adolescents (Mage = 13.6) and 140 middle adolescents (Mage = 16.4). Among early adolescents, parent and teacher support, but not friend support, related significantly to positive school well-being. Among middle adolescents, friend and teacher support, but not parent support, significantly related to school well-being. For both early and middle adolescents, global self-esteem mediated relations between teacher support and school well-being. For early adolescents, global self-esteem mediated relations between parent support and school well-being; whereas for middle adolescents, global self-esteem mediated relations between friend support and school well-being. The findings supported socialcognitive models of well-being in Chinese context. Implications are discussed in the context of developmental and cultural considerations.     

The Father–Daughter Relationship and Intimacy in the Marriages of Daughters of Divorce

This article examines how being the daughter of divorce affects one's marital relationship. We examined this issue by studying the role of the father–daughter relationship in a sample of 90 women, all of whom were currently married and had parents who were divorced, with a Web-based survey. Specifically, this study investigated whether there was a relationship between the strength of these women's relationships with their fathers and the level of commitment, intimacy, and communication in their current marriages. This study produced evidence that the strength of the father–daughter relationship corresponded with current marital intimacy. However, the level of commitment and communication in their own marriages was not linked to the strength of their relationships with their fathers. This study has important implications regarding the work clinicians do to protect and strengthen the father–daughter relationship when working with families who have experienced parental divorce.     

Family Structure,Parental Involvement,and Academic Motivation in Latino Adolescents

Self-report data from 594 Latino adolescents about parental involvement (general support, monitoring, academic support, and educational aspirations) and academic motivation were examined across three family structures (intact, stepfather, single-mother/nonresident involved father). Significant differences were found in fathers' but not mothers' involvement depending on the family structure. Dominance analyses showed that the form of mothers' involvement that explained the most unique variance in academic motivation follows: monitoring for youth in intact and single-mother/nonresident involved father families and academic support for youth in stepfather families. The form of fathers' involvement that explained the greatest unique variance in academic motivation follows: monitoring for youth in intact families, academic support for youth in stepfather families, and academic aspirations for youth in single-mother/nonresidential involved father families.     

Rural Social Service Disparities and Creative Social Work Solutions for Rural Families Across the Life Span

The provision of social services in rural areas has historically presented a challenge for social workers. Rural social service disparities are presented in relation to key challenges surrounding the provision of social work services in the rural United States. Barriers that define rurality and hinder the provision of social work to rural families, a multicultural examination of rural community strengths and resiliency, and creative solutions for rural social work delivery are discussed. A case study utilizing collaborative partnerships between rural churches, schools, and community leaders to combat rural homelessness and streamline service delivery for rural families across the life cycle is presented.     

How Ineffective Family Environments Can Compound Maldevelopment of Critical Thinking Skills in Childhood Abuse Survivors

The high stress of childhood abuse is associated with neurobiological detriments to executive function. Child abuse survivors may also be cognitively and relationally disadvantaged as a result of being raised in emotionally impoverished families that lack cohesion, organization, flexibility, self-expression, and moral and ethical values and fail to provide opportunities for effective learning. A review of literature demonstrates how dysfunctional family of origin environments common to child abuse survivors, concomitant with the extreme stress of overt acts of abuse, can act as a barrier to the development of higher-order critical thinking skills. The article concludes by discussing ramifications of critical thinking skill deficits in child abuse survivors and highlights the importance of integrating and prioritizing critical thinking skills training in treatment.