Influence of performance evaluation rating segmentation on motivation and fairness perceptions.

This study investigated the impact of rating segmentation (i.e., the number of alternative appraisal categories available for rating employee performance) on motivation and perceptions of fairness. Participants were 305 student volunteers who performed a catalog search task. A 2 x 4 factorial design with 2 performance rating systems-low segmentation (3 categories) and moderate segmentation (5 categories)--and 4 performance levels was used. Overall, the results indicated that the 5-category system resulted in higher self-efficacy regarding participants' ability to reach the next higher rating category. higher goals for rating improvement, and higher rating improvements than the 3-category system. The effects of rating system and performance rating on rating improvement were partially mediated by self-efficacy and personal goals. The rating system and the performance rating affected perceptions of distributive and procedural justice.

Dispositional effects on job and life satisfaction: the role of core evaluations.

Past research has suggested that dispositional sources of job satisfaction can be traced to measures of affective temperament. The present research focused on another concept, core self-evaluations, which were hypothesized to comprise self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, locus of control, and nonneuroticism. A model hypothesized that core self-evaluations would have direct effects on job and life satisfaction. It also was hypothesized that core self-evaluations would have indirect effects on job satisfaction. Data were collected from 3 independent samples in 2 countries, using dual source methodology. Results indicated that core self-evaluations had direct and indirect effects on job and life satisfaction. The statistical and logical relationship among core evaluations, affective disposition, and satisfaction was explored.

Salient life events in three-generation families.

A short, simple procedure for eliciting salient life events is reported in this article. Respondents from three-generation families were asked to list events that had had an impact on them and their families. Responses were examined for content, criterion, and construct validity. The 10 events listed by 10% of at least one generation were major life cycle markers: Six (marriage, childbirth, divorce, retirement, widowhood, and ill health) pertained to the individuals, and four (marriage, birth, divorce, and ill health) pertained to their extended family networks. The expected relationship between events and depression (CES-D) was observed: The importance of low frequency events was reflected in their relationship to depression in the middle-aged and youngest generations. The importance of network events was reflected both in their presence on the lists of all age groups, and in their relationship to depression in the youngest generation.