New Generation,Great Expectations: A Field Study of the Millennial Generation

Purpose  

This study investigated the career expectations and priorities of members of the “millennial” generation (born in or after 1980) and explored differences among this cohort related to demographic factors (i.e., gender, race, and year of study) and academic performance.     

A Method for Identifying the Initiation of Reaching Movements in Natural Prehension

Identifying the start of a movement is critical for calculating variables such as movement duration, movement speed, or trajectory length and straightness. In most experiments, the problem is simplified by giving instructions to the subjects and by constraining the task. This is not possible in populations that are too young or disabled to understand and execute the task as instructed. In this article, a method is presented for reliably identifying the onset of reaches in infants, whose movements are embedded in their ongoing activities. A computer program prompts the user to choose reach initiation on the basis of comparison between hand kinematics and videotaped behavior and to code the reach as emerging from 1 of 4 movement contexts. The method is highly reliable in infants of all ages and captures expected age-related changes in reaching. It is suggested that researchers could use this or a similar method to study movements that are part of natural, ongoing activities in normal and in clinical populations     

Training for a New Generation

Teachers … can never tell where their influence stops.
Henry Brooks Adams (1907)     

A Multicomponent Latent Trait Model for Diagnosis

This paper presents a noncompensatory latent trait model, the multicomponent latent trait model for diagnosis (MLTM-D), for cognitive diagnosis. In MLTM-D, a hierarchical relationship between components and attributes is specified to be applicable to permit diagnosis at two levels. MLTM-D is a generalization of the multicomponent latent trait model (MLTM; Whitely in Psychometrika, 45:479–494, 1980; Embretson in Psychometrika, 49:175–186, 1984) to be applicable to measures of broad traits, such as achievement tests, in which component structure varies between items. Conditions for model identification are described and marginal maximum likelihood estimators are presented, along with simulation data to demonstrate parameter recovery. To illustrate how MLTM-D can be used for diagnosis, an application to a large-scale test of mathematics achievement is presented. An advantage of MLTM-D for diagnosis is that it may be more applicable to large-scale assessments with more heterogeneous items than are latent class models.     

Identifying repressors: A methodological issue for health psychology

Abstract

The majority of studies in health psychology use self-report measures. However, there is a growing body of evidence indicating that this methodology may be problematic for a significant minority of the population: individuals who possess a repressive coping style (repressors). Repressors, who fail to report negative affect, answer many self-report measures in a positive fashion. Research has identified an association between repressors, who are identified by low trait anxiety scores and high defensiveness scores, and adverse health outcomes. Therefore, repressors are an important group for health psychologists to investigate. Health psychology research should use more than one method of data collection in an attempt to unravel this difficult methodological problem.     

A New Generation of Women in the Wilderness

This article presents the author's personal account of her experience as a mentor for several young women who participated in a group independent study entitled "Women in the Wilderness." The young women's difficulty re-entering society after their profoundly transformational experience in the Sierra backcountry is told from the point of view of China Galland, a seasoned wilderness educator and guide. This article is excerpted from a non-fiction work-in-progress, Running Wild.     

一种新的等值方法：核等值法

该文介绍了一种新的等值方法一核等值法。首先介绍了核等值法的研究过程、它的主要特点以及五个步骤（前平滑处理、估计分数概率、连续化、等值、计算等值标准误）。之后,介绍了核等值法与其他传统的观察分等值方法的差异,最后是对核等值法的评价。     

Perceptions of Sexual Orientation: A Hierarchically Restrictive Trait

Categorizing a person according to group membership (sexual orientation) attaches group stereotypes and behavioral expectations to that individual. For Study 1, students from New Mexico, United States (N?=?127) were asked to indicate the number of inconsistent behaviors it would take to change expectations about a categorized person. Study 1 revealed that sexual orientation is a hierarchically restrictive trait: for heterosexual targets, only a few inconsistent behaviors changed expectations, and for homosexual targets, many inconsistent behaviors did not change expectations. For Study 2, survey research (N?=?163) and path analyses revealed different patterns between male and female respondents for relationships between religiosity, attitudes toward homosexuals, attitudes toward sexuality, and the degree of hierarchical restrictiveness of sexual orientation.     

A Unidimensional Latent Trait Model for Continuous Item Responses

A general linear latent trait model for continuous item responses is described. The special unidimensional case for continuous item responses is Joreskog's (1971) model of congeneric item responses. In the context of the unidimensional case model for continuous item responses the concepts of item and test information functions, specific objectivity, item bias, and reliability are discussed; also the application of the model to test construction is shown. Finally, the correspondence with latent trait theory for dichotomous item responses is discussed.     

Identifying Pseudoscience: A Social Process Criterion

Many philosophers have come to believe there is no single criterion by which one can distinguish between a science and a pseudoscience. But it need not follow that no distinction can be made: a multifactorial account of what constitutes a pseudoscience remains possible. On this view, knowledge-seeking activities fall on a spectrum, with the clearly scientific at one end and the clearly non-scientific at the other. When proponents claim a clearly non-scientific activity to be scientific, it can be described as a pseudoscience. One feature of a scientific theory is that it forms part of a research tradition being actively pursued by a scientific community. If a theory lacks this form of epistemic warrant, this is a pro tanto reason to regard it as pseudoscientific.     

A New Method for Analyzing Data From Visual Artwork

ABSTRACT

This article presents a novel data analytic approach to collect detailed information from visual artworks. This new method provides researchers with a framework to compare, analyze, and review in a systematic way large quantities of data from visual productions. Drawing on principles of art historical criticism, our research team devised a comprehensive coding scheme that captures both technical and content attributes. The coding scheme is configured to record specific, fundamental features for each artwork, providing an instrument for collecting data and cross-examining codes to reveal content in a unique and unbiased manner. For example, detailed data collected through individual codes can reveal clear patterns in the artistic treatment of composition and medium, providing evidence that the method could be adapted and applied for use in a variety of settings. To illustrate the method, this article presents examples from an empirical research study that was conducted at Harvard University's Project Zero. In this study, the coding scheme was applied to 414 pieces of artwork published in a teen art and literary magazine between 1990 and 2011. The coding scheme is defined and applied to 2 sample artworks, allowing readers to understand how this method can be used to record nuanced information about each work. Applying this analytic approach to visual art created in museums and informal learning settings can yield insights into artworks, their creators, and nuanced changes in creative production over time.     

A Study of Current, Former, and New Elderly Volunteers: A Comparison of Developmental and Trait Models of Personality

This study examined relationships among personality traits, ego development, and volunteering among retired seniors who were current, former, and new volunteers. Volunteer history, but not extensiveness of volunteer experience, was associated with higher ego development. Current volunteers had higher levels of ego development than former and new volunteers, and former volunteers had higher levels than new volunteers. Openness to experience and ego development were positively associated. Results of multiple-regression analyses indicated that openness and volunteering history and extensiveness positively predicted ego development. This study supported the hypothesis that ego development is related to volunteering and suggests that participation in volunteer work promotes ego development.     

The Trait Anxiety Scale for Children: A validation study for European Portuguese children and adolescents

The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children is a self-report instrument inspired on the State-Trait theory extended by Spielberger that measures a momentary state of anxiety (state) and a stable tendency to experience anxiety (trait). This study presents an exploratory adaptation of the Trait Scale and provides its psychometric properties for European Portuguese children and adolescents. The influence of sex and age were also explored. Our sample, composed of 402 participants aged 8–14 years, revealed a mean anxiety value of 28.37 (SD = 5.99). As expected, females revealed higher levels of anxiety than boys. Higher anxiety was obtained in our youngest group as compared to the oldest group. The exploratory factor analysis led to retaining only 16-items that presented acceptable adjustment to a one-factorial solution. Good indexes were obtained in the confirmatory analysis. The results also revealed good internal consistency and good test-retest reliability. Our results provide initial evidence that this scale is adequate to measure trait-anxiety in European Portuguese young people.     

Identifying the Lone Wolf: A Team Perspective

Increased use of sales teams reduces salespeople’s latitude to operate as “lone wolves.” A lone wolf prefers to work alone when making decisions and setting goals, has little patience for group process, sees others as less effective, and seldom values others’ ideas. Research investigating lone wolves suggests they lack organizational commitment. However, no current scale exists for identifying lone wolves. Using sales representatives and student samples, we validate a lone wolf scale and demonstrate how lone wolves differ from autonomous individuals. Having good psychometric properties, the scale is useful to practitioners for assessing representatives for sales team contexts.     

A Discriminant Function Procedure for Identifying Abusing Parents

ABSTRACT: From 60 abusive parents was selected a sample of 15 males and 18 females, each identified as the primary abusive parent in the home. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory of each was subjected to a series of discriminant function analyses. Recognizing that sex is an important determinant in understanding and predicting child abuse, separate scales were derived for males, females, and sexes combined. A graph is included that allows for estimating the probability of an individual's being an abusive parent. Using these scales in conjunction with clinical interviews and medical history, there is thus an increased probability of identifying parents “at risk.” Content analyses of the scale items reflect specific conflict areas for males and females that make for increased understanding of the psychology of child abuse.     

Trait Meta-Mood and Subjective Happiness: A 7-week Prospective Study

The primary aim of the current study was to replicate and extend previous findings by examining the relationship between trait meta-mood and levels of subjective happiness in a 7-week follow-up study. Participants were 192 undergraduate students (155 females) who completed self-report measures of trait meta-mood and subjective happiness. After 7 weeks, 155 students completed the subjective happiness scale again. Focusing first on cross-sectional analysis, meta-mood dimensions were found to be moderately related to levels of subjective happiness. Next, along with initial levels of subjective happiness, we found that meta-mood dimensions independently predicted prospective levels of subjective happiness over a 7-week follow-up. These findings provide some preliminary evidence on the prospective value of meta-mood dimensions as relevant individual differences involved in the maintenance of emotional well-being indicators.     

Measuring State and Trait Aggression: A Short,Cautionary Tale

Ample evidence exists suggesting that exposure to television and film violence (Paik & Comstock, 1994) and playing with violent video games (Sherry, 2001) contribute to increases in aggressive behavior; however, the magnitude of the effect ranges from small to moderate. In this study, we argue that in some cases, use of trait, rather than state, aggression can serve to attenuate effects. We report the results of a study in which a trait aggression scale is reworded slightly to create a state measure. The state and trait scales are then compared in high- and low-aggression priming conditions. Results suggest that though both scales are reliable and both have construct validity, the reworded state aggression scale responds more to the high prime than to the low prime. More important, it also responds more than the original trait scale does. Therefore, minor variations in studies of media's effect on aggression, such as variations in scale wording, can serve to attenuate effects.     

Trait Goal Orientation, Self-Regulation, and Performance: A Meta-Analysis

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to meta-analytically examine trait goal orientation constructs and their relationships with the self-regulation variables of self-monitoring, self-evaluations, self-reactions, and self-efficacy as well as task performance across a range of contexts.

Design, Methodology, Approach

Data were gathered from published and unpublished research examining the goal orientation construct and self-regulation and/or task performance. Effect sizes from 102 research reports involving over 16,000 participants were included.

Findings

In general the mastery-approach goal orientation construct was positively related to the self-regulation and performance variables. Conversely, negative relationships were found between the performance-avoid goal orientation and those variables. Relationships between goal orientation and self-regulation tended to be higher compared to those found for goal orientation and performance. Overall, the findings support the discriminant validity of the three factors of goal orientation (mastery-approach, performance-approach, performance-avoid).

Practical Implications

Practitioners and researchers will benefit from learning that mastery-approach goal orientation consistently relates to self-regulation and task performance. The findings indicate that a mastery-approach goal orientation could serve as a meaningful predictor in selection processes or as an explanatory variable of motivation.

Originality/Value

The present study updates and expands upon past research by focusing on relationships of trait goal orientation across a variety of contexts. The results extend meta-analytic results to a wider range of self-regulatory variables.