Examining the relationships between self-efficacy, task-relevant attentional control , and task performance: Evidence from event-related brain potentials

Purpose Interest has been generated for a while in unpacking the “black box” and providing a contingency approach to understanding the effects of human resource management (HRM) practices. This study aims to investigate the possibility that the relationship between human capital development and task performance is mediated by work self-efficacy and work engagement – and that this mediation depends on the degree of perceived investment in employees’ development. Design/methodology/approach Based on a synthesis of theories –systems, social cognitive and social identity theories – a moderated mediation model is tested using data from 220 academic employees and Heads of Departments from multiple Higher Educational Institutions in Ghana. AMOS and Hayes Conditional Process analysis were used to analyze the data. Findings The study finds support for a bundle of human capital investments boosting work self-efficacy and motivating work engagement, as well as task performance. Consistent with expectations, the mediation in human capital investments to task performance via work self-efficacy is conditional on the degree of perceived investment in employees’ development. Originality/value The study provides the first attempt at studying a conditional process model in human capital development by addressing whether, how and when human capital system functions more or less effectively, and provides knowledge on the “black box” in HRM.

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Evaluating Cognitive Relationships with Resting-State and Task-driven Blood Oxygen Level-Dependent Variability

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/jocn_a_01645 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 279-302

Author(s):

Peter R. Millar ◽

Beau M. Ances ◽

Brian A. Gordon ◽

Tammie L. S. Benzinger ◽

John C. Morris ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Resting State ◽

Attentional Control ◽

Blood Oxygen Level Dependent ◽

Blood Oxygen ◽

Bold Signal ◽

Oxygen Level ◽

Blood Oxygen Level ◽

Age Related ◽

And Task

Recent functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have reported that moment-to-moment variability in the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal is positively associated with task performance and, thus, may reflect a behaviorally sensitive signal. However, it is not clear whether estimates of resting-state and task-driven BOLD variability are differentially related to cognition, as they may be driven by distinct sources of variance in the BOLD signal. Moreover, other studies have suggested that age differences in resting-state BOLD variability may be particularly sensitive to individual differences in cardiovascular, rather than neural, factors. In this study, we tested relationships between measures of behavioral task performance and BOLD variability during both resting-state and task-driven runs of a Stroop and an animacy judgment task in a large, well-characterized sample of cognitively normal middle-aged to older adults. Resting-state BOLD variability was related to composite measures of global cognition and attentional control, but these relationships were eliminated after correction for age or cardiovascular estimates. In contrast, task-driven BOLD variability was related to attentional control measured both inside and outside the scanner, and importantly, these relationships persisted after correction for age and cardiovascular measures. Overall, these results suggest that BOLD variability is a behaviorally sensitive signal. However, resting-state and task-driven estimates of BOLD variability may differ in the degree to which they are sensitive to age-related, cardiovascular, and neural mechanisms.

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The impact of perceived supervisor support on employees’ turnover intention and task performance

Journal of Management Development ◽

10.1108/jmd-03-2019-0076 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 38 (5) ◽

pp. 369-382 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Sadia Afzal ◽

Muhammad Arshad ◽

Sharjeel Saleem ◽

Omer Farooq

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Turnover Intention ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Academic Staff ◽

Supervisor Support ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Content Type ◽

Perceived Supervisor Support ◽

The Impact ◽

And Task

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explain the mediational mechanisms in the relationship of perceived supervisor support (PSS) with turnover intention (TI) and task performance (TP).Design/methodology/approachData were collected through questionnaires from the academic staff of Pakistani universities. The theoretical model was tested using data collected from 304 respondents by using structural equation modeling technique. Mediation analysis was performed with 5,000 bootstraps samples.FindingsThe results revealed that PSS affected TI negatively through the mediation of self-efficacy. Conversely to this, PSS influenced TP positively through the mediation of self-efficacy. In addition, the results also showed the direct effect of PSS on employees’ TP.Practical implicationsThe results of this study suggest that the supervisor must provide adequate support to the academic staff, which helps them to develop their self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is helpful for the employees to reduce their TI and to improve their TP.Originality/valueThis study is the first of its nature which explained the direct and indirect effects of PSS on TI and TP by using the framework of social learning theory and social exchange theory simultaneously.

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