Professor Julie Chen, Assistant Professor of Psychology, recently published an article, "The Cultural Effects of Job Mobility and the Belief in a Fixed World: Evidence from Performance Forecast" (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97, 851-865).  Dr. Chen's co-authors are Dr. Chi-yue Chiu (NTU, Singapore) and Dr. Fiona Chan (Massey University, New Zealand).

Results from 5 studies illustrate how perception of and experiences with low job mobility can shape culture-characteristic patterns of judgment and behavior. Although both American and some Asian groups (e.g., Chinese, Asian American) consider having successful practitioners' personality traits (role personality) to be important to job performance, the Asian groups place heavier emphasis on possessing role personalities when making performance forecast than do Americans (Studies 1-3). Moreover, even among Americans, brief subjective experience with low job mobility can increase the perceived importance of possessing role personalities in performance forecast (Study 4), and a brief direct experience with low job mobility can increase job applicants' tendency to claim possession of role personality traits in job applications (Study 5). Furthermore, the belief in a fixed world mediates the relationship between perception of low job mobility and perceived importance of possessing role personalities in performance forecast (Study 2).