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PERCEPTIONS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLUENCE: A COGNITIVE INFORMATION PROCESSING APPROACH FOR EXPLAINING MODERATED RELATIONSHIPS
Author(s) -
JAMES LAWRENCE R.,
HATER JOHN J.,
JONES ALVIN
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
personnel psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.076
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1744-6570
pISSN - 0031-5826
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-6570.1981.tb00489.x
Subject(s) - psychology , perception , consistency (knowledge bases) , information processing , social psychology , cognition , supervisor , anxiety , information processing theory , cognitive psychology , geometry , mathematics , neuroscience , psychiatry , political science , law
A hypothesis of consistency in cognitive information processing of perceptions of psychological influence (perceived influence of decisions made by a supervisor) was proposed and tested. The hypothesis stated that if (a) having influence was of sufficient importance to a subordinate to effect selective attention to supervisor behaviors that reflected opportunities for influence, then (b) the subordinate would employ perceptions of influence in behavioral decisions (performance) and affective reactions (anxiety, satisfaction). The hypothesis received support in a study of 363 Navy enlisted aircraft maintenance personnel, where selective attentiveness to opportunities for influence was determined by assessing the fit between personal characteristics of a subordinate (e.g., achievement motivation) and the degree of overload in the work environment. Results suggested that relations between perceptions of influence and attitudes/performance should be expected only for those individuals who are attentive to opportunities for influence in the early stages of cognitive processing. Implications of these results for future scientific and professional endeavors are discussed.