Auction games have been relatively neglected by empirical researchers in spite of their apparent relevance to a wide range of social problems. Following a discussion of social dilemmas in general, and an exhaustive review of research into psychological traps and auction games in particular, six new experiments on factors affecting escalation in auction games are reported. In the first experiment, male and female subjects participated in three successive auction games with variable prize values. A serial decrease in escalation with experience was observed among males only; no significant effect of prize value was found. Experiment two compared subjects' responses to programmed strategies in two-person and three-person groups, either face-to-face or via a computer simulation designed to provide greater control and to facilitate economical data-collection. A significant interaction emerged: escalation was significantly greater in the computer simulation than the face-to-face condition in the two-person groups only. The successful computer simulation was retained for all subsequent experiments, and experiment three examined the relationship between escalation and personality. A significant positive relationship was found between radicalism and escalation. In the fourth experiment no significant differences were found between individual and team bidding (in teams of two or three), but in the fifth experiment a non-significant trend towards greater escalation in individual than in three-person team bidding was observed. The sex difference, and the interaction reported by previous researchers between sex and individual versus team bidding, were non-significant, although there was a trend towards greater escalation by individuals than teams. Experiment six compared individual bidding in two-person, three-person, and five-person groups. Escalation was found to be significantly greater in the three-person and five-person groups than in the two-person groups. Methodological difficulties and problems of interpretation in all six experiments are discussed and areas in need of further investigation are suggested.

Fatigue is a familiar and commonplace occurrence, but attempts to investigate the nature of fatigue have been inconclusive. Following more than a hundred years of extensive research, the construct is still ill-defined. This has resulted in a series of different strands of research, producing results concomitant with each researcher's own idea of what constitutes fatigue. Two central questions remain unresolved: (1) what sort of a construct is fatigue? and (2) should fatigue be conceptualised as a single, one dimensional state, generated by a range of different conditions, or a multidimensional state, incorporating a number of distinct but related states? There is an implicit assumption within the literature (and every-day language) that there is more than one 'type' of fatigue. However, there is currently no theoretical model which outlines the types of fatigue which should be incorporated in a theoretical framework and which explains the relationships between these fatigue types. The work presented in this thesis represents an attempt to address these issues using both psychometric and experimental approaches. Preliminary work investigated the psychometric basis for a unitary or multidimensional construct. This separately addressed the constructs of state and trait fatigue and, on the basis of the findings, state and trait multiple fatigue questionnaires were developed. A series of four experiments were then carried out which manipulated different types of work to facilitate an investigation of the dynamic development of fatigue. The first three experiments focused on the separate effects of mental and physical fatigue, and the final experiment considered the nature of their interaction.Both experimental and psychometric analyses supported the proposition of a multidimensional construct. The evidence in support of a multidimensional construct of trait fatigue was particularly strong. However, while the evidence in support of a multidimensional construct of state fatigue was less convincing, the experimental manipulations of different types of workload did produce states of fatigue that were subjectively different and also different patterns of fatigue after-effects.

This action research based thesis focuses on work-related psychological trauma and its management, within the context of the British police service. A case study on one force facilitates detailed exploration of ways in which police occupational culture may impede the provision and acceptance of trauma management schemes. A national questionnaire-based survey of United Kingdom police forces establishes the scope and nature of their trauma management provisions and identifies strengths and weaknesses. Few trauma research studies have concentrated upon the affective domain of the British police service and there is limited understanding of how personal emotions are managed in the police organisation, or how its culture can affect the individual's experience of work-related trauma in an unhelpful way. The study aims to increase knowledge and understanding in this area and to assist British police forces in their attempts to reduce police sickness absences and ill health retirements, which may result from exposure to workrelated trauma. Two main study concerns are addressed by different means. The thesis is arranged as an introduction that includes discussion of the methodological approach adopted, seven chapters, conclusions and recommendations. Chapter one sets the scene by scrutinising the police service as a modern work organisation. Having clarified the basic principles of British policing, it outlines how the service has developed, exploring the difficulties and tensions police officers at all levels experience in trying to fulfil their current roles and responsibilities. Chapter two looks at the nature and potential effects of 'critical' incidents and traces the history of trauma recognition and critical incident debriefing, discussing the current debate on the efficacy of the latter and its value for police personnel. Chapter three examines current national and local police trauma management provisions and chapter four focuses on the identification and management of key risks posed to the police organisation, arising from work-related trauma. Chapter five explores police officers' experiences of trauma through descriptions of three 'service' roles and critical incident scenarios and by focusing on how certain aspects of police culture may intensify and prolong their initial distress. Chapter six shows the ways in which the police organisation seeks to manage its members' emotions through its selection, training and socialisation processes and how its success in doing so can impede the delivery and takeup of trauma management services. Chapter seven then outlines the main theoretical concepts underpinning the thesis, explaining why the police organisation requires officers to manage their emotions in particular ways and outlining mechanisms it has adopted as corporate defences against anxiety. A summary of conclusions follows and the thesis ends with recommendations to effect improvements to the quality and consistency of services being offered.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / abstract / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / abstract / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / abstract / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences