Making the grade? A meta-analysis of academic performance as a predictor of work performance and turnover.

Many organizations assess job applicants' academic performance (AP) when making selection decisions. However, researchers and practitioners recently have suggested that AP is not as relevant to work behavior as it used to be due to factors such as grade inflation and increased differences between academic and work contexts. The present meta-analysis examines whether, and under what conditions, AP is a useful predictor of work behavior. Mean correlations (corrected for error in the criterion) between AP and outcomes were .21 for job performance (k = 114), .34 for training performance (k = 8), and -.02 for turnover (k = 20). There was considerable heterogeneity in validity estimates for job performance (80% credibility interval [.04, .37]). Moderator analyses revealed that AP is a better predictor of performance (a) for AP measures that are more relevant to students' future jobs, (b) for professor ratings of AP than for grades and class rank, (c) for samples that include applicants from the same university or from the same major, and (d) for official records of AP than for applicant self-reports. Job relevance was the strongest and most consistent moderator with operational validities in the .30s and .40s for measures that assessed AP in major-specific courses or courses in which students are evaluated on behaviors relevant to their future jobs (e.g., practicum classes). Overall, researchers and organizations should carefully consider whether and how AP is relevant to particular jobs and outcomes, as well as use designs and measures that optimize the predictive value of AP. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Hidden consequences of political discourse at work: How and why ambient political conversations impact employee outcomes.

Discussions of politics have become increasingly common in the workplace, likely due to increasing political polarization around the world. Because of this, political conversations have the potential to be emotionally charged and disruptive, creating tension in the workplace and negatively affecting employee productivity and well-being. In light of this possibility, the goal of the current investigation was to examine the costs of ambient political conversations in the workplace, assuming that simply overhearing such discussions-without being a participant in them-may have unintended consequences for employees. Across three studies, our findings indicated that employees experience negative affect after overhearing political conversations at work, with these effects being attenuated (amplified) in contexts where employees perceive that their coworkers are more (less) similar to them. In addition to unpacking the mechanisms through which ambient workplace political conversations might impact employee outcomes, our findings from Studies 3A-B provide evidence that under certain circumstances (i.e., when employees agree with the content of ambient workplace political conversations), employees may experience a boost in positive affect after overhearing such conversations at work. Altogether, our findings provide insight into the costs and potential benefits associated with overhearing coworkers discussing politics in the workplace, particularly for those employees who perceive themselves to be dissimilar from their coworkers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Doxing, political affiliation, and type of information: Effects on suspicion, perceived similarity, and hiring-related judgments.

Researchers have begun to focus on the influence of political affiliation in organizations. In this context, we investigated how doxing (i.e., using social media to post information online with malintent) influences hiring-related decisions. Based on the integration of a political affiliation and state suspicion model, we investigated how a dox containing different types of information (affirming a political party affiliation vs. providing derogatory/negative information about an opposing party) and political party affiliation similarity influenced hiring-related perceptions of job applicants. Given doxing's characteristics, we expanded the "decision space" to include effects about expected organizational image and expected retaliation. In Study 1, we found that the type of information and party similarity influenced suspicion of the applicant and perceived similarity with the applicant, whereas doxing only influenced suspicion. In turn, suspicion and perceived similarity predicted expected task performance and organizational image, and exploratory analyses suggested an interactive effect of these variables. Suspicion also predicted expected retaliation from individuals outside the organization. In Study 2, we confirmed that doxing was related to suspicion as well as the interactive effect of information type and party similarity. We explain that interaction using the notion of symbolic threat. In both studies, the effects of type of information and party similarity were pervasive. Our results support the similarity-attraction paradigm and a model of political affiliation. Expanding relevant theories to include suspicion helps better understand politically related judgments and the additional outcomes of expected organizational image and retaliation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Revisiting Sackett et al.'s (2022) rationale behind their recommendation against correcting for range restriction in concurrent validation studies.

Sackett et al. (2022) recommend against correcting for range restriction (RR) in concurrent validation studies. The main rationale behind their recommendation is that unless "rzx" (an unrestricted true-score correlation between the third variable Z where actual selection occurred in a top-down manner [a.k.a., suitability] and the predictor of interest, X) is as high as .90 and selection ratios are as low as .30-both unlikely events in their view, the degree of RR (ux) in concurrent validation studies is unlikely to be low enough (i.e., lower than .90) to warrant RR correction. That is, (a) the "rzx" ≥ .90 and (b) the selection ratio ≤ .30 are two critical conditions for the third condition, (c) ux ≤ .90, a need for RR correction. In this study, we revisit each of these conditions that constitute the rationale behind their recommendation: (a) whether "rzx" is unlikely to be as high as .90; (b) whether selection ratios of .30 or lower are "extreme"; and (c) whether the degree of RR is "little to no" (i.e., ux ≥ .90) in concurrent validation studies, thus no need for correcting for RR in concurrent validation studies. First, our reanalysis of their Table 1 indicates that it is not implausible that "rzx" is as high as .90. Second, several studies report that selection ratios of .30 or lower are not extreme. Finally, our reanalysis of their Table 5 indicates that Sackett et al. substantially underestimate the severity of RR and its biasing effect on operational validity in concurrent validation studies due to their use of a particular RR correction method (Case IV). We believe these findings suggest that there is not sufficient support for the rationale behind Sackett et al.'s recommendation and, thus, their recommendation itself should be reconsidered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Early-Onset Sepsis in Newborns.

ABSTRACT: Early-onset sepsis can cause significant morbidity and mortality in newborn infants. Risk factors for sepsis include birth to mothers with inadequately treated maternal group B Streptococcus colonization, intra-amniotic infection, maternal temperature greater than 100.4°F (>38°C), rupture of membranes greater than 18 hours, and preterm labor. The organisms that most commonly cause early-onset sepsis include group B Streptococcus, Escherichia coli, and viridans streptococci. Infants often present within the first 24 hours after birth with clinical signs of sepsis, with respiratory distress as the most common presenting symptom. However, infants can also have respiratory distress from noninfectious etiologies. Therefore, when physicians are faced with asymptomatic infants with risk factors or infants with respiratory distress without risk factors, there is a delicate balance between empirically treating with antibiotics and observing these infants without treating.

Urinary Tract Infections in Low Birth Weight Neonates.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate the incidence of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in low birth weight (LBW) neonates and to evaluate the compliance of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) providers in performing urine cultures as a part of late-onset sepsis (LOS) evaluations following an educational intervention. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective chart review for all LBW infants undergoing LOS evaluations was performed. An educational intervention was conducted to encourage NICU providers to perform urine cultures in LOS evaluations. Prospective chart reviews were conducted following the intervention to assess compliance with the urine culture directive and the incidence of UTIs before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Rate of UTIs among LBW neonates was 1.3% for the entire study period and typical uropathogens were the cause. UTIs were found concurrently with bacteremia in only 33.3% of cases and showed a predilection for male infants when analyzing based on the number of infections. Urine cultures were performed in 20% of LOS evaluations prior to our educational intervention and increased to 57% (p < 0.0001) postintervention. CONCLUSION: An educational intervention is effective at increasing the rate of obtaining urine cultures with LOS evaluations. Performing these cultures reveals that UTIs in LBW neonates are common without bacteremia and can be missed if they are omitted from LOS evaluations. KEY POINTS: · UTIs occur often in preterm infants, especially boys.. · Education increases the performance of urine cultures.. · UTIs in preterm infants occur often without bacteremia..

Why serendipitous informal knowledge sharing interactions are key to boundary spanning and creativity.

BACKGROUND: Informal Knowledge Sharing Interactions (IKSI) are particularly valuable for innovation projects if they connect partners who are categorically, socially and formally distant from each other. Then the chances are higher that partners possess non-redundant knowledge and can thus open up new perspectives. By improving their knowledge supply, IKSI enhance the success, job satisfaction and well-being of employees in knowledge-intensive industries. So far, however, it is unclear how such interactions between heterogeneous partners emerge. OBJECTIVE: The paper examines the formation of IKSI and develops the argument that serendipitous IKSI are more likely than planned IKSI to connect heterogeneous partners and open up new perspectives. METHODS: The paper develops the argument in detail and empirically grounded by drawing together the unconnected literatures on the formation and impact of IKSI. Furthermore, the argument is empirically tested using 132 IKSI from developers collected with event-based diaries. RESULTS: In line with the conceptual work, the empirical analysis shows that serendipitous IKSI are more likely than planned ones to open up new perspectives. CONCLUSION: Serendipitous IKSI are of particular significance and require appropriate promotion in order to enhance innovative capability. The increasing virtualization of work is creating opportunities and challenges in this regard.

Are Early-Onset Sepsis Evaluations and Empiric Antibiotics Mandatory for All Neonates Admitted with Respiratory Distress?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the success and safety of an antimicrobial stewardship protocol for neonates admitted with respiratory distress at birth. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort analysis of all infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with respiratory distress from January 2013 to February 2018 was conducted. In April 2016, an antimicrobial stewardship protocol was implemented, dividing neonates into two groups: maternal indications for delivery (no infectious risk factors for early-onset sepsis [EOS]) and fetal indications (risk factors present) for delivery. Neonates with risk factors for EOS were started on empiric antibiotics, those who lacked risk factors were observed. Paired sample t-test and descriptive statistics were used to compare the pre- and postprotocol implementation. RESULTS: There were no missed cases of EOS in our study. Management with empiric antibiotics decreased from 95 to 41% of neonates with respiratory distress after initiation of the protocol. Newborns with a lower mean (±standard errors of the mean [SEM]) gestational age were more likely to receive empiric antibiotics (35.1 ± 0.4 [range: 23-42 weeks] vs. 37.7 ± 0.2 weeks [range: 24-42 weeks]; p < 0.05). Similar findings were seen for neonates with lower mean birth weights (2,627 ± 77 [range: 390-5,440 g] vs. 3,078 ± 51 g [range: 620-6,260 g]; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The antibiotic stewardship protocol safely reduces the administration of empiric antibiotics to symptomatic neonates without missing any cases of sepsis. KEY POINTS: · Newborns born with respiratory distress often receive broad-spectrum antibiotics upon NICU admission.. · An antibiotic stewardship program was created for this population and considered perinatal risk factors for sepsis when determining whether antibiotics were indicated.. · This antibiotic stewardship program was safe and effective, significantly reducing antibiotic use without missing any cases of sepsis..

Organizational political affiliation and job seekers: If I don't identify with your party, am I still attracted?

Political divisions appear to be relatively frequent in today's world. Indeed, individuals on opposing sides of these divisions often view each other very negatively. The present multi-study investigation contributes to the nascent literature on organizational political affiliation by examining how job seekers view organizations with political affiliations, a practice that is becoming more prevalent. Studies 1 and 2 indicated that many job seekers are aware of organizations' political affiliations or stances, and that they often considered these affiliations and stances during recent job searches. For example, nearly one-third of participants said they did not apply to an organization because of its political affiliation or stances. Study 3 showed that the extent to which job seekers identified with the organization's party affiliation positively influenced their reactions toward the organization (e.g., perceived similarity and liking), as well as their intention to pursue employment with the organization. In contrast, job seekers' disidentification with the organization's affiliation decreased their feelings of perceived similarity and liking. Study 4 demonstrated that organizational affiliation with a political issue (i.e., gun control/second amendment) also influenced perceptions of similarity and liking. Taken together, results suggest that organizations' affiliations with political parties or their stances on political issues can influence the amount and types of potential employees that organizations attract. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Pediatric Research and Scholarship Committee: Single Institution Initiative to Enhance Scholarly Activity of Pediatric Residents.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to improve scholarly activity of pediatric residents by providing residents with support and guidance from a committee of faculty and staff members dedicated to advancing research within the program while requiring minimal additional funding or resources. APPROACH: Established in 2012, the Pediatric Research and Scholarship Committee (PRSC) ascertained research interests of pediatric residents and matched residents with scholarly activity mentors based on mutual interests and goals. We measured change in scholarly activity of residents after the development of the PRSC by reviewing resident presentations at national/regional meetings and manuscripts published pre- and post-PRSC. OUTCOMES: The average number of conference presentations at regional/national meetings per resident ratio increased from 0.13 over the 2 years prior to the PRSC to an average of 0.34 over the 2 years post-PRSC, with the overall increase sustained over the seven years post-PRSC (0.13 pre-PRSC vs 0.48 post-PRSC, P < .01). In addition, published peer-reviewed manuscripts with resident primary authorship increased after the initiation of the PRSC from 0 publications over the 2 years pre-PRSC to a total of 25 publications over the 7 years post-PRSC (P = .01). An average of 27% of graduating residents with limited PRSC exposure (2 graduating classes) had presented at a regional/national conference during residency, as compared to 50% of graduating residents over the first 2 years of full PRSC exposure, and 59% of all graduating residents with full exposure to the PRSC over the last 5 years (P = .03). DISCUSSION: Implementation of a research committee comprised of dedicated faculty can play a vital role in stimulating and sustaining productivity in resident research and scholarly activity. Our model can be adopted by other residency programs seeking to advance resident scholarly activities.

What's on job seekers' social media sites? A content analysis and effects of structure on recruiter judgments and predictive validity.

Many organizational representatives review social media (SM) information (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) when recruiting and assessing job applicants. Despite this, very little empirical data exist concerning the SM information available to organizations or whether assessments of such information are a valid predictor of work outcomes. This multistudy investigation examines several critical issues in this emerging area. In Study 1, we conducted a content analysis of job seekers' Facebook sites (n = 266) and found that these sites often provide demographic variables that U.S. employment laws typically prohibit organizations from using when making personnel decisions (e.g., age, ethnicity, and religion), as well as other personal information that is not work-related (e.g., sexual orientation, marital status). In Study 2 (n = 140), we examined whether job seekers' SM information is related to recruiter evaluations. Results revealed that various types of SM information correlated with recruiter judgments of hireability, including demographic variables (e.g., gender, marital status), variables organizations routinely assess (e.g., education, training, and skills), and variables that may be a concern to organizations (e.g., profanity, sexual behavior). In Study 3 (n = 81), we examined whether structuring SM assessments (e.g., via rater training) affects criterion-related validity. Results showed that structuring SM assessments did not appear to improve the prediction of future job performance or withdrawal intentions. Overall, the present findings suggest that organizations should be cautious about assessing SM information during the staffing process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Quantitative serological antibody testing for suspected neuroborreliosis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the importance of serum IgG/IgM antibody titers for the differentiation of Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) from its mimics. METHOD: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study conducted at two German neurological centers. Serological parameters (ELISA or CLIA analysis) and clinical presentation of 28 patients with definite LNB were compared to those of 36 patients with neurological symptoms mimicking LNB (mimics). Analysis was performed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and binary logistic regression. RESULTS: Elevated IgG-titers had a high sensitivity for neuroborreliosis in both centers (0.95 and 1.0). The optimal cutoff-values were set to 26.35 in center A (ELISA), and 64.0 in center B (CLIA). Diagnostic specificity was 0.41 and 0.89 in this constellation. Elevated IgM-titers showed a high diagnostic specificity for a cutoff at 68.10 (A) and 47.95 (B) (0.93 and 0.89). Sensitivity was 0.45 and 0.5. Overall diagnostic accuracy was low in both centers (A: IgG AUC = 0.665, IgM AUC = 0.629; B: IgG AUC = 0.917, IgM AUC = 0.556). In logistic regression of antibody titers and clinical measures, prediction of LNB was significantly better than the "null hypothesis". Clinical measures showed the highest odds ratio. CONCLUSION: Data show that in addition to the clinical presentation of patients with symptoms suggesting central or peripheral nervous system manifestation, serum IgG- and IgM-titers help to identify LNB-patients. The results should guide physicians counseling patients with suspected LNB about further diagnostic steps and treatment.

Political affiliation and employment screening decisions: The role of similarity and identification processes.

Recent research in political science, along with theory in applied psychology, has suggested that political affiliation may be associated with substantial levels of affect and, thus, might influence employment decision-makers. We designed 2 experiments using social media screening tasks to examine the effects of political affiliation similarity on ratings of hireability. Our findings in both studies suggest that the identification (capturing positive affect) and disidentification (capturing negative affect) of a decision-maker with a job applicant's political affiliation were important variables that influenced perceived similarity. Consistent with the similarity-attraction paradigm, perceived similarity was related to liking and, in turn, liking was related to expected levels of applicant task and organizational citizenship behavior performance. Further, in both studies, political affiliation related variables influenced hireability decisions over and above job-relevant individuating information. Future research should continue to examine political affiliation similarity, particularly in light of its frequent availability to decision-makers (e.g., via social media websites). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Changes of Serum IgG Dimer Levels after Treatment with IVIg in Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) are standard treatment for Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Their exact mechanisms of action are versatile and not fully understood. One possible mechanism is neutralization of circulating autoantibodies via binding to anti- idiotypic antibodies forming idiotype-anti-idiotype dimeric IgG immune complexes. To examine the role of immune complex formation as mechanism of action for IVIg in GBS, 34 C57Bl/6 mice were either treated with anti-ganglioside antibodies and IVIg or IVIg and PBS alone, whereas eight additional mice were treated either with anti-ganglioside autoantibodies and IVIg or anti-ganglioside autoantibodies alone. Subsequently IgG dimer formation was assessed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, IgG dimer formation was measured in sera of eight GBS patients who were treated with IVIg. In mice, a significant increase of dimeric IgG after administration of anti-ganglioside antibodies and IVIg could be observed. Re-monomerized IgG dimers showed immunoreactivity against gangliosides and serum immunoreactivity was significantly reduced after IVIg infusion. Likewise also in GBS patients, IgG dimer formation could be detected after IVIg treatment. Our data indicate that dimeric IgG immune complexes contain anti-idiotypic antibodies and provide proof of concept that IVIg treatment in GBS results in measurable amounts of IgG dimers. Larger patient cohorts are needed to evaluate serum IgG dimer increase as a possible marker for treatment response in GBS. Graphical Abstract Mechanism of action: Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) and anti-ganglioside antibodies form dimeric IgG immune complexes, preventing axonal damage in Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

Using beta coefficients to impute missing correlations in meta-analysis research: Reasons for caution.

Meta-analysis has become a well-accepted method for synthesizing empirical research about a given phenomenon. Many meta-analyses focus on synthesizing correlations across primary studies, but some primary studies do not report correlations. Peterson and Brown (2005) suggested that researchers could use standardized regression weights (i.e., beta coefficients) to impute missing correlations. Indeed, their beta estimation procedures (BEPs) have been used in meta-analyses in a wide variety of fields. In this study, the authors evaluated the accuracy of BEPs in meta-analysis. We first examined how use of BEPs might affect results from a published meta-analysis. We then developed a series of Monte Carlo simulations that systematically compared the use of existing correlations (that were not missing) to data sets that incorporated BEPs (that impute missing correlations from corresponding beta coefficients). These simulations estimated ρ̄ (mean population correlation) and SDρ (true standard deviation) across a variety of meta-analytic conditions. Results from both the existing meta-analysis and the Monte Carlo simulations revealed that BEPs were associated with potentially large biases when estimating ρ̄ and even larger biases when estimating SDρ. Using only existing correlations often substantially outperformed use of BEPs and virtually never performed worse than BEPs. Overall, the authors urge a return to the standard practice of using only existing correlations in meta-analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record

The role of political affiliation in employment decisions: A model and research agenda.

Organizational researchers have studied how individuals identify with groups and organizations and how this affiliation influences behavior for decades (e.g., Tajfel, 1982). Interestingly, investigation into political affiliation and political affiliation similarity in the organizational sciences is extremely rare. This is striking, given the deep political divides that exist between groups of individuals described in the political science literature. We draw from theories based on similarity, organizational identification, and person-environment fit, as well as theoretical notions related to individuating information, to develop a model, the political affiliation model (PAM), which describes the implications of political affiliation and political similarity for employment decisions. We set forth a number of propositions based on PAM, to spur future research in the organizational sciences for a timely topic which has received little attention. (PsycINFO Database Record