scholarly journals Beyond Reward Expectancy: How Do Periodic Incentive Payments Influence the Temporal Dynamics of Performance?

2021 ◽  
pp. 014920632110160
Author(s):  
Hans T. W. Frankort ◽  
Argyro Avgoustaki
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Multivariate Time Series ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Complete Understanding ◽  
Customer Support ◽  
Piece Rate ◽  
Reward Expectancy ◽  
Incentive Plan ◽  
Incentive Plans ◽  
Incentive Payments

Prior theory suggests that incentive plans, such as piece-rate or commission plans, motivate good performance because employees anticipate that current performance will generate matching future incentive payments. In this article, we move beyond reward expectancy to argue that performance can also derive from employees’ reactive responses to received incentive payments. We propose a salience-based theory casting incentive payments as recurring temporal markers that periodically increase the salience of the incentive plan, to which employees respond by temporarily increasing incentivized and unincentivized performance. We introduce multivariate time-series methods to test our hypotheses in longitudinal data spanning 169 weeks (1,183 days), drawn from an online firm using an incentive plan for its customer-support employees. While we find no evidence that incentive payments affect the dynamics of incentivized performance, they do temporarily boost several unincentivized behaviors and outcomes. Combined with fieldwork, these findings support our proposed mechanism of “salience-induced reciprocity”—that is, the temporary reciprocity in response to a periodic increase in the salience of the incentive plan. This article contributes to a more complete understanding of performance and effort dynamics in incentive plans, offers new inroads into studying temporality in the functioning of human resources practices, and provides other future research avenues.

Effects of Monetary Incentives on Task Switching

2012 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 216-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Kleinsorge ◽  
Gerhard Rinkenauer
Keyword(s):  
Task Switching ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
General Level ◽  
Monetary Incentives ◽  
Switch Costs ◽  
Expectancy Effect ◽  
Reward Expectancy ◽  
Trial Basis

In two experiments, effects of incentives on task switching were investigated. Incentives were provided as a monetary bonus. In both experiments, the availability of a bonus varied on a trial-to-trial basis. The main difference between the experiments relates to the association of incentives to individual tasks. In Experiment 1, the association of incentives to individual tasks was fixed. Under these conditions, the effect of incentives was largely due to reward expectancy. Switch costs were reduced to statistical insignificance. This was true even with the task that was not associated with a bonus. In Experiment 2, there was a variable association of incentives to individual tasks. Under these conditions, the reward expectancy effect was bound to conditions with a well-established bonus-task association. In conditions in which the bonus-task association was not established in advance, enhanced performance of the bonus task was accompanied by performance decrements with the task that was not associated with a bonus. Reward expectancy affected mainly the general level of performance. The outcome of this study may also inform recently suggested neurobiological accounts about the temporal dynamics of reward processing.

scholarly journals Forest Quality Dynamic Change and Its Driving Factors Accompanied by Forest Transition in China

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 733
Author(s):  
Li Gu ◽  
Zhiwen Gong ◽  
Yuankun Bu
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Spatial Clustering ◽  
Dynamic Change ◽  
Forest Area ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Suitable Model ◽  
Forest Transition ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Province Level

As ecological and environmental issues have received continuous attention, forest transition has gradually become the frontier and a hot issue, which have implications for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In this study, the spatial-temporal dynamics and the spatial determinants of forest quality were investigated using spatial econometric regression models at the province level, which contained 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China. The results showed that forest area, forest volume, forest coverage, and forest quality have greatly increased as of 2018, but uneven forest distribution is an important feature of forest adaptation to the environment. The global Moran’s I value was greater than 0.3, and forest quality of the province level had a positive spatial correlation and exhibited obvious spatial clustering characteristics. In particular, the spatial expansion of forest quality had shown an accelerated concentration. The most suitable model for empirical analysis and interpretation was the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) with fixed effects. The average annual precipitation and the area ratio of the collective forest were positively correlated with forested quality (significance level 1%). Ultimately, this framework could guide future research, describe actual and potential changes in forest quality associated with forest transitions, and promote management plans that incorporate forest area changes.

The Ismaili Tradition in Iran: 13th Century to the Present

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Beben
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Early 20Th Century ◽  
13Th Century ◽  
Complete Understanding ◽  
Northern Iran ◽  
Minority Community ◽  
History Of ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
To Receive

The Ismailis are a minority community of Shiʿi Muslims that first emerged in the 8th century. Iran has hosted one of the largest Ismaili communities since the earliest years of the movement and from 1095 to 1841 it served as the home of the Nizārī Ismaili imams. In 1256 the Ismaili headquarters at the fortress of Alamūt in northern Iran was captured by the Mongols and the Imam Rukn al-Dīn Khūrshāh was arrested and executed, opening a perilous new chapter in the history of the Ismailis in Iran. Generations of observers believed that the Ismailis had perished entirely in the course of the Mongol conquests. Beginning in the 19th century, research on the Ismailis began to slowly reveal the myriad ways in which they survived and even flourished in Iran and elsewhere into the post-Mongol era. However, scholarship on the Iranian Ismailis down to the early 20th century remained almost entirely dependent on non-Ismaili sources that were generally quite hostile toward their subject. The discovery of many previously unknown Ismaili texts beginning in the early 20th century offered prospects for a richer and more complete understanding of the tradition’s historical development. Yet despite this, the Ismaili tradition in the post-Mongol era continues to receive only a fraction of the scholarly attention given to earlier periods, and a number of sources produced by Ismaili communities in this period remain unexplored, offering valuable opportunities for future research.

Temporal Dynamics of PERMA Building Blocks and Well-being in Daily Life: An Ecological Momentary Assessment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeideh Heshmati ◽  
Zita Oravecz
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Dynamical Features ◽  
Ecological Momentary ◽  
Momentary Assessment

Most assessments of well-being have relied on retrospective accounts, measured by global evaluative well-being scales. Following the recent debates focused on the assessment of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being based on the elements of the PERMA theory, the current study aimed to shed further light onto the measurement of PERMA elements in daily life and their temporal dynamics. Through an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) design (N=160), we examined the dynamics of change (e.g., baselines and intra-individual variability) in the PERMA elements using the mPERMA measure, which is an EMA-adapted version of the PERMA Profiler. Findings revealed that momentary experiences of well-being, quantified via PERMA elements, map onto their corresponding hedonic or eudaimonic well-being components, and its dynamical features provide novel insights into predicting global well-being. This work offers avenues for future research to assess well-being in real-time and real-world contexts in ecologically valid ways, while eliminating recall bias.

scholarly journals Joint Modeling of Local and Global Temporal Dynamics for Multivariate Time Series Forecasting with Missing Values

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (04) ◽  
pp. 5956-5963
Author(s):  
Xianfeng Tang ◽  
Huaxiu Yao ◽  
Yiwei Sun ◽  
Charu Aggarwal ◽  
Prasenjit Mitra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Real World ◽  
Missing Values ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Multivariate Time Series ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Joint Modeling ◽  
Adversarial Training ◽  
Global Patterns ◽  
Real World Datasets

Multivariate time series (MTS) forecasting is widely used in various domains, such as meteorology and traffic. Due to limitations on data collection, transmission, and storage, real-world MTS data usually contains missing values, making it infeasible to apply existing MTS forecasting models such as linear regression and recurrent neural networks. Though many efforts have been devoted to this problem, most of them solely rely on local dependencies for imputing missing values, which ignores global temporal dynamics. Local dependencies/patterns would become less useful when the missing ratio is high, or the data have consecutive missing values; while exploring global patterns can alleviate such problem. Thus, jointly modeling local and global temporal dynamics is very promising for MTS forecasting with missing values. However, work in this direction is rather limited. Therefore, we study a novel problem of MTS forecasting with missing values by jointly exploring local and global temporal dynamics. We propose a new framework øurs, which leverages memory network to explore global patterns given estimations from local perspectives. We further introduce adversarial training to enhance the modeling of global temporal distribution. Experimental results on real-world datasets show the effectiveness of øurs for MTS forecasting with missing values and its robustness under various missing ratios.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Base-Excess Plan for Leveling Seasonal Milk Production: Case Example of Maryland

1980 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen M. Prindle
Keyword(s):  
Milk Production ◽  
Base Excess ◽  
Consumption Patterns ◽  
Production Data ◽  
Incentive Plan ◽  
Incentive Plans

Seasonal incentive plans, such as the base-excess plan, have been initiated to encourage producers to shift their production to be more similar to seasonal consumption patterns. The effectiveness of the seasonal incentive plan was evaluated by examining Maryland milk production data for the period 1966–78. The analysis indicated that month-to-month variation in milk production has increased in recent years, and suggests that current seasonal incentive plans be evaluated to encourage dairy producers to shift their production schedules.

scholarly journals Viruses in the Built Environment (VIBE) meeting report

Microbiome ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron J. Prussin ◽  
Jessica A. Belser ◽  
Werner Bischoff ◽  
Scott T. Kelley ◽  
Kaisen Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Virus Detection ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Meeting Report ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Viral Communities ◽  
Bacteria And Fungi ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract Background During a period of rapid growth in our understanding of the microbiology of the built environment in recent years, the majority of research has focused on bacteria and fungi. Viruses, while probably as numerous, have received less attention. In response, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation supported a workshop entitled “Viruses in the Built Environment (VIBE),” at which experts in environmental engineering, environmental microbiology, epidemiology, infection prevention, fluid dynamics, occupational health, metagenomics, and virology convened to synthesize recent advances and identify key research questions and knowledge gaps regarding viruses in the built environment. Results Four primary research areas and funding priorities were identified. First, a better understanding of viral communities in the built environment is needed, specifically which viruses are present and their sources, spatial and temporal dynamics, and interactions with bacteria. Second, more information is needed about viruses and health, including viral transmission in the built environment, the relationship between virus detection and exposure, and the definition of a healthy virome. The third research priority is to identify and evaluate interventions for controlling viruses and the virome in the built environment. This encompasses interactions among viruses, buildings, and occupants. Finally, to overcome the challenge of working with viruses, workshop participants emphasized that improved sampling methods, laboratory techniques, and bioinformatics approaches are needed to advance understanding of viruses in the built environment. Conclusions We hope that identifying these key questions and knowledge gaps will engage other investigators and funding agencies to spur future research on the highly interdisciplinary topic of viruses in the built environment. There are numerous opportunities to advance knowledge, as many topics remain underexplored compared to our understanding of bacteria and fungi.

scholarly journals Ecology and evolution of antimicrobial resistance in bacterial communities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Bottery ◽  
Jonathan W. Pitchford ◽  
Ville-Petri Friman
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Emergent Property ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Ecological Context ◽  
Interspecies Interactions ◽  
Complete Understanding ◽  
Resistance Evolution

AbstractAccumulating evidence suggests that the response of bacteria to antibiotics is significantly affected by the presence of other interacting microbes. These interactions are not typically accounted for when determining pathogen sensitivity to antibiotics. In this perspective, we argue that resistance and evolutionary responses to antibiotic treatments should not be considered only a trait of an individual bacteria species but also an emergent property of the microbial community in which pathogens are embedded. We outline how interspecies interactions can affect the responses of individual species and communities to antibiotic treatment, and how these responses could affect the strength of selection, potentially changing the trajectory of resistance evolution. Finally, we identify key areas of future research which will allow for a more complete understanding of antibiotic resistance in bacterial communities. We emphasise that acknowledging the ecological context, i.e. the interactions that occur between pathogens and within communities, could help the development of more efficient and effective antibiotic treatments.

Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiota Following Changes in Training Volume Among Swimmers

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (05) ◽  
pp. 292-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarrad Timothy Hampton-Marcell ◽  
Tifani W. Eshoo ◽  
Marc D. Cook ◽  
Jack A. Gilbert ◽  
Craig A. Horswill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Composition ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Microbial Community ◽  
Microbial Community Structure ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Fecal Microbiota ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Training Volume ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Microbial Composition

AbstractExercise can influence gut microbial community structure and diversity; however, the temporal dynamics of this association have rarely been explored. Here we characterized fecal microbiota in response to short term changes in training volume. Fecal samples, body composition, and training logs were collected from Division I NCAA collegiate swimmers during peak training through their in-season taper in 2016 (n=9) and 2017 (n=7), capturing a systematic reduction in training volume near the conclusion of their athletic season. Fecal microbiota were characterized using 16S rRNA V4 amplicon sequencing and multivariate statistical analysis, Spearman rank correlations, and random forest models. Peak training volume, measured as swimming distance, decreased significantly during the study period from 32.6±4.8 km/wk to 11.3±8.1 km/wk (ANOVA, p<0.05); however, body composition showed no significant changes. Coinciding with the decrease in training volume, the microbial community structure showed a significant decrease in overall microbial diversity, a decrease in microbial community structural similarity, and a decrease in the proportion of the bacterial genera Faecalibacterium and Coprococcus. Together these data demonstrate a significant association between short-term changes in training volume and microbial composition and structure in the gut; future research will establish whether these changes are associated with energy balance or nutrient intake.

scholarly journals Role of β-Catenin Activation Levels and Fluctuations in Controlling Cell Fate

Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Pedone ◽  
Lucia Marucci
Keyword(s):  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Cellular Systems ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Somatic Cell Reprogramming ◽  
Development In Vitro ◽  
Pluripotency Maintenance

Cells have developed numerous adaptation mechanisms to external cues by controlling signaling-pathway activity, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is a highly conserved signaling pathway involved in many biological processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, somatic cell reprogramming, development, and cancer. The activity of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and the temporal dynamics of its effector β-catenin are tightly controlled by complex regulations. The latter encompass feedback loops within the pathway (e.g., a negative feedback loop involving Axin2, a β-catenin transcriptional target) and crosstalk interactions with other signaling pathways. Here, we provide a review shedding light on the coupling between Wnt/β-catenin activation levels and fluctuations across processes and cellular systems; in particular, we focus on development, in vitro pluripotency maintenance, and cancer. Possible mechanisms originating Wnt/β-catenin dynamic behaviors and consequently driving different cellular responses are also reviewed, and new avenues for future research are suggested.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document