<p> The current investigation examined the nature of the activation-competition process that is the hallmark of spoken word recognition (Luce &amp; Pisoni, 1998). The present experiments focused on acquisition of new nonword forms that are carefully designed to compete with existing lexical items (e.g., "cathedruke" &rarr; "cathedral"; "shum" &rarr; "shun"). The specific aim of the research was to examine the processing costs for recognition of established neighboring words following exposure to new items. Experiments 1a and b examined processing for both mono- and multisyllabic words for which listeners have learned a new competitor in an attempt to contrast claims about the nature of lexical competition made by two prominent models of spoken word recognition, Cohort Theory and the Neighborhood Activation Model. Experiments 2a and b delved further into an examination of the nature of the competitive environment by manipulating the number and exposure frequency of novel items in an attempt to directly assess the costs of multiple activation. In both Experiments 2a and b, effects of more training (additional novel neighbors or increased exposure frequency, respectively) were facilitative, not competitive. The results are discussed within the context of Vitevitch and Luce's (1999) two-stage model of spoken word recognition.</p>

<p> Managing the behavioral needs of individuals with developmental disabilities has been a long-standing concern for group home managers and direct care staff. Consultee-centered consultation has a history of documented benefits for children in schools and was theorized to be beneficial to adults with developmental disabilities residing in group homes. Adults with disabilities continue to experience behavioral difficulties while staff lack the training to maintain quality support services. Caplan&rsquo;s consultee-centered consultation (1993) bridges the gap between client centered behavioral consultation and consultee effectiveness in addressing client behavioral concerns. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of consultee-centered consultation on client behavior and the group home environment. Three community-based group homes were chosen to participate in this study using matched assignment. Participants included ten clients with challenging behaviors, two consultees (managers of group-homes), three data collectors and direct-care staff working with clients. This study showed encouraging support of a decrease in the frequency of challenging behaviors exhibited by clients residing in two group homes that received consultee-centered consultation for twelve and six weeks. The level of job satisfaction for employees participating in this study did not demonstrate change over the course of the 15-week study. Despite a lack of support for a change in employee satisfaction, both consultees receiving consultee-centered consultation reported that consultation helped them to address staff concerns and improvements in their level of confidence and skills. </p>

<p>Across industries and organizations, some managers hold dual roles that require them to meet various demands between internal and external work settings. Further, while these demands may be understood as interrelated and complementary, they can be simultaneously experienced as mutually exclusive, creating paradoxical tensions. This study applied a grounded theory (GT) method to better understand how district managers (DMs) navigated the `corporate/field paradox? in their dual role. Specifically, the DMs were corporate employees who worked remotely in the field to support their respective regional stores, to essentially help their company succeed in the retail industry. Based on a social constructivist approach, 17 DMs? perspectives were gathered through an online questionnaire, and intensive interviews, to generate a theory that reflects how this social process is experienced and understood. Both individual and organizational facets were considered in the dual role navigation of the corporate/field paradox. The following theoretical elements were identified: context (personal and organizational), interpersonal dynamics (relationships, influencing effectiveness, communications), intrapersonal dynamics (cognition, emotions, challenges/rewards), overall impacts (personal and organizational), and adapting. Overall, the generated `Corporate/Field Paradox Theory? from this study proposes an interactive systems approach to better understanding how DMs navigate between all of these interrelated elements. For future research and practice, this theory offers a more holistic and nonlinear interpretation of how paradoxes might be experienced.

<p> The purpose of this study was to understand the implications of management support and employee engagement on the improvement of organizational efficiency, as a byproduct of employees adopting organizational Project Management Methodologies (PMMs). Previous PMM-based research has not focused on assessing the (a) influence of management support and employee engagement on PMM adoption or (b) effect of PMM adoption on organizational efficiency. The PMM adoption and resistive factors researched included: PMM practices, training, coaching, PMM design involvement, PMM feedback, project type, employment type, and PMM practitioner experience level. An exploratory qualitative research method was supported by an online survey data collection method and thematic analysis data analysis method. Two Project Management Institute (PMI) Chapters comprised a sample population of over 2400 professionals. A sample size of 29 surveys was acquired through data collection that produced five key themes: (a) PMM tailoring, (b) vetting of PMM best practice, (c) good communications, (d) management support via PMM training and coaching, and (e) employee engagement via proactive involvement and reactive feedback with the caveat of receiving fair treatment. These themes promoted PMM adoption and accumulatively support higher levels of organizational efficiencies. Research findings enrich existing knowledge surrounding PMM adoption and organizational efficiency due to the pre-existing research gap.</p><p>

<p> <b>Scope of Study:</b> This study was designed to investigate the lived experiences of middle to executive level leaders who participated in positive psychology coaching during midlife. Through personal interviews, participants shared comprehensive descriptions of their experiences in an effort to provide a deep understanding of the ways in which they benefited both personally and professionally while facing challenges typically associated with middle age. </p><p> <b>Findings and Conclusions:</b> This study generated three major findings that support this effort (1) participating in positive psychology executive coaching provides focus and confidence that facilitates personal and professional growth during midlife by helping clients identify and overcome real life and work challenges while pursuing their over-arching goals; (2) the coaching experience and associated results largely vary from participant to participant based on their wants, goals and aspirations for the future; and (3) the client&rsquo;s perception of coaching impact was tied, at least in part to the length of coaching, the quality of their relationship with the coach and a perceived positive experience. These results support the employment of positive psychology interventions as part of an executive coaching engagement, showing that to do so with midlife clients not only supports their goal achievement, but also facilitates resolution of other work and life challenges over time and within a quality client-coach relationship. </p><p>

<p> Emotional Reaction of Experiencing Crisis in Virtual Reality (VR)/360&deg; Immersive technology is being used to provoke emotion and move millions of people to action. Because organizations and filmmakers are exploring more ways to use the immersive technology of VR and 360-degree video to evoke emotion, it is important to investigate what emotional reactions are experienced. Both VR and 360&deg; fall under the category of immersive media and the terms are used interchangeably in this study. NVivo 11 is used for the analysis of 1,700 Twitter texts between the years 2015 and 2017 after people view the crisis <i> Clouds Over Sidra</i> in VR/360&deg;. The appraisal theory of emotion serves as the framework to explore the interpretation of the subject&rsquo;s emotional reactions. Sentiment and thematic analysis reveal (a) an increase in empathy, (b) reports of emotional reactions including feelings of sadness, grief and anger, (c) greater understanding of the crisis (d) intentions to act related to the crisis, (e) importance of VR/360&deg; for educational use, and (f) the power of VR/360&deg; and its ability to alter fields of education, humanitarian work, and politics. This study finds the immersive experience of viewing a crisis in VR/360&deg; generates a range of highly emotional reactions. It is an important goal to understand the role VR/360&deg; plays in generating emotional reactions and behavioral change, particularly in view of the accelerating development of emotional VR/360&deg; content and people&rsquo;s access to immersive technology. </p><p>

<p> This work explores the limiting beliefs that modern American man is surrounded by that create suffering and isolation for him. Utilizing heuristic and hermeneutic methodologies, this thesis leans into the primary feelings of anger, guilt, and shame typically expressed by American males. It examines how these feelings came to the forefront of his expressions and how he can allow himself to find ways to safely express the other feelings repressed inside him. Just as the blind man when given a matzo turned it over and over, examining it with his fingers and exclaiming &ldquo;who wrote this?&rdquo;, this thesis suggests new interpretations regarding how males express themselves. Through awareness of the value of rituals and metaphors, this natural language of men can serve as a beginning toward his feeling safe in expressing his repressed feelings. This thesis tempts the reader to see beyond the mask of the American male</p><p>

<p> Current literature suggests secure attachment and forgiveness are positively correlated. However, to date, the relationship of adult attachment, forgiveness, and generativity has not been explored. In this current study, middle-aged adults, ages 45-80 from the George Fox University Alumni were surveyed to explore attachment (anxious and avoidant), generativity, and forgiveness. Since generativity is a prosocial trait, synonymous with altruism, suggesting one&rsquo;s selfless service and concern for the well-being for others, it is predicted that generativity will have a positive relationship with forgiveness, and secure attachment. Further, multiple regression statistics were used to explore which of the independent variables (anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, and generativity) has the greatest effect on the dependent variable of trait forgiveness.</p><p> Results indicated that there was a medium positive relationship between forgiveness and secure attachment, between generativity and secure attachment, and between forgiveness and generativity. Multiple regression found that each of the independent variables (anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, and generativity) were significant predictors of forgiveness with anxious attachment being the strongest predictor of forgiveness</p><p>

<p> As care for the elderly continues to be a significant social concern, this study examines the experiences, gratifications, and frustrations of adult children suffering from a mental illness and become the primary caregivers of their aging parent within the home. In addition, the study explored the role of trauma as part of the adult children's decision to become the primary caregivers of their aging parent. Adult children and their aging parents were of Jewish descent and currently residing in a large metropolitan area. A total of 9 adult Jewish children, 6 males and 3 females, were recruited from a non-profit, community-funded social service agency for this qualitative study. The nine participants were asked to complete a short demographic questionnaire, asked general background information, and were administered a semi-structured caregiving interview. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and analyzed using grounded theory methodology.</p><p> The major themes that emerged from this qualitative study provide insight into the adult child's experience as a caregiver with respect to their caregiving responsibilities, additional assistance from outside agencies or individuals, issues related to mental health and wellness, positive and negative aspects of the caregiving role, religion, and loss. Minor themes that emerged in the data were developmental task achievement and the impact of legal difficulties on the experience of caregiving. The results indicate that the adult child's role as the primary caregiver likely fulfills a purpose in this mentally ill adult child's life. There seems to be a relationship between the adult child's lack of normative development within the life cycle and adopting the role of caregiver. This role is also influenced by other factors such as trauma/stress, social constriction, parenting style, lack of support, and co-dependency between adult and child. Therefore, this study was able to provide a greater understanding of the factors that contribute to the trend of mentally ill adult Jewish children taking on the caregiver role for their aging parents.</p>

<p> The present study compared the validity of a new graphic probe presentation technique for the Situation Awareness Present Method (SPAM) with the established traditional text-based probe presentation method. Three primary research questions were to be answered: 1) Which method of assessing situation awareness will best predict air traffic controller (ATCo) performance? 2) Will the method of probe administration, graphics-based vs. text-based, affect the time to respond to the question?, and 3) Will the method of administration, graphics-based vs. text-based, affect the accuracy of probe responses? Participants performed a simulated air traffic control task using a Multi Aircraft Control System (MACS), which is a simulated mid-fidelity ATCo environment. SPAM probe questions were presented on an adjacent computer. Two manipulations were used during the course of this study: 1) the amount of aircraft in the sector at a given time (traffic density), and 2) the probe presentation technique (Graphic vs. Text-based), with the traditional SPAM dependent variables of probe accuracy, subjective workload, workload latency, and probe question latency. First, the findings of the present study show the shorter response time of text-based probes. Second, the findings of the present study show text-based probes to generate more accurate participant responses. Lastly, the findings of the present study suggest both text-based and graphic probes predict aspects of ATCo performance. However, only specific text-based probe questions predict Losses of Separation, the primary measurement of ATCo safety. While significant findings were discovered during the course of the present experiment, further research is needed to determine the validity and reliability of the present findings.</p><p>