Date of Graduation

Spring 2010

Degree

Master of Science in Psychology

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Donald L. Fischer

Abstract

This research builds upon previous work that investigated the psychometric properties of some implicit measures of psychological attributes theoretically related to workplace integrity - doing what's right or doing what's wrong at work. In particular, Fischer and Bates (2008) used Implicit Association Test procedures to develop several implicit measures of social knowledge concepts defined by what Greenwald, Banaji, Rudman, Farnham, Nosek, & Mellot (2002) call a Balanced Identity Design. The present study expands the nomological network linking these measures of workplace integrity, along with established explicit measures, with theoretically-relevant overt behavior. More specifically, a temptation design was used to provide subjects with opportunities to do what's right or wrong - to follow or break rules and to tell the truth or lie - in situations that reflect important aspects of work environments. Results replicated the earlier finding that the implicit measures fit the predictions of classic cognitive consistency theory better than the established explicit measures. Results also indicated the implicit measures predicted relevant overt behavior better than the explicit measures. However, when some control for the degree of temptation subjects experienced was implemented, both explicit and implicit measures made independent contributions to the prediction of criterion behavior.

Keywords

workplace, integrity, implicit association test, counter productive work behavior, organizational citizenship behavior, character, trustworthiness, implicit cognition

Subject Categories

Psychology

Copyright

© Emmanuel Osafo

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