Effects of “nonrational” influences on decision making in higher education: A simulation test

The purpose of the present study was to determine if a nonrational model of decision-making was used by college administrators in three typical areas of college operations. Were the value positions taken by three college constituency groups (faculty, students, community board) on problems in curriculum, student affairs, and personnel influencing decisions made by administrative groups? In a simulation study, information describing a mythical community college was prepared, using the dimensions of the management-information system CAMPUS (Comprehensive Analytical Methods for Planning in University Systems). Three simulated problems within the hypothetical community college setting were administered to teams of decision makers each composed of three junior college administrators. Junior college administrators did not use the nonrational model in reaching group or individual decisions in the three simulated problem areas. Administrators did not respond in a significant manner to the influence of college constituency groups in reaching decisions. The type of problem being considered (curriculum, student affairs, and personnel) was a significant factor in determining decision alternatives selected by administrators. Both the rational and nonrational models of decision-making as used in this study appear inadequate to explain administrative decisions. It is tenable to posit that decision-making is influenced at least as much by previously learned responses of the decision-makers, and it may need to be considered as an important element in any model of decision-making.     

Human resource development: an emerging profession‐an emerging purpose

ln this article,we attempt to see Human Resource Development(HRD), and everything that could be called HRD, as it currently exists in U.S. organisations, and to understand its emergence from narrow, fragmented, and mechanical conceptualizations to more holistic ones. It is our view that any intentional organisational activity centered on human development, whether on individual development or on the development of cultures that enable individuals to work together effectively, could legitimately be seen as HRD. This view of HRD, we further believe, enables us to see more fully what is happening and why. Later in this paper, we will offer a definition of the field that is consistent with this comprehensive conceptualization.     

Generation of descriptive text headings

The effectiveness of having students generate their own headings for scientific text is assessed. Results reveal that generating headings enhance performance on a number of recall measures compared to either author-provided headings or no headings. Educational implications are discussed.     

Motivational specificity of the signal value of odor cues

The performance of the laboratory rat in the enclosed maze apparatus is profoundly influenced by subject-generated cues that seem to be olfactory. The present experiment investigated the specificity of these cues. Odor cues produced by odor-donor rats placed in the startbox were ineffective determinants of the behavior of runway-trained rats when the deprivation states of these two groups differed. However, when the deprivation states of these two groups coincided, the odor cues produced by the odor-donor rats became effective determinants of performance. Thus, it would appear that even though odor cues are influential in determining the runway performance of the rat subject, their effectiveness may well be drive-state dependent.     

Predictors of Help‐Seeking Attitudes in College Student Service Members and Veterans

We explored predictors of attitudes toward psychological help seeking among 103 student service members and veterans (SSM/V). Results showed that self‐stigma, public stigma, and gender significantly predicted attitudes toward psychological help seeking. A test of mediation revealed that self‐stigma fully mediated the relationship between public stigma and attitudes toward psychological help seeking. Implications for college counseling professionals who serve SSM/V are discussed.     

Engaging youth in school and learning: The emerging key to school success and completion

This commentary on articles in this special issue of Psychology in the Schools discusses the importance of school completion by identifying the individual and social costs associated with youths who fail to complete school. An appreciation of these various costs sets the stage for exploring an “emerging” key to school completion—engaging students in school and learning. A brief review of articles in this special issue directs attention toward various aspects of engagement, including conceptual insight and practical interventions. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.