Comparison, Grouping, and Preference

How does the attractiveness of a particular option depend on comparisons drawn between it and other alternatives? We observe that in many cases, comparisons hurt: When the options being compared have both meaningful advantages and meaningful disadvantages, comparison between options makes each option less attractive. The effects of comparison are crucial in choice problems involving grouped options, because the way in which options are grouped influences which comparisons are likely to be made. In particular, we propose that grouping focuses comparison, making within-group comparisons more likely than between-group comparisons. Consistent with this prediction, experimental results showed that grouping hurts: An option is more likely to be chosen when alone than when part of a group.     

Reliability and Validity of a Paper-and-Pencil Test Measuring Hemisphere Preference

The present studies examined the reliability and validity of the Preference Test (PT), a widely used self-report index of preferred hemisphere thinking styles. The PT consists of items that intend to tap left-hemisphere and right-hemisphere cognitions. In the first study (N=47), PT scores were found to have reasonable test–retest stability. In the second study (N=334), a factor analysis of PT scores showed that the PT has a two-factor solution that can best be interpreted in terms of putative left- and right-hemisphere items. In the third study (N=29), background EEG activity (F3, F4, P3 and P4) of subjects was recorded. PT scores were found to be related to EEG asymmetry patterns for frontal, but not for parietal, recording sites. More specifically, subjects with a left-hemisphere preference displayed relatively stronger left frontal activity than subjects with a right-hemisphere preference. By and large, the present findings provide strong support for the reliability and some suggestive evidence for the validity of the PT.     

中小学中欺负者、受欺负者与欺负-受欺负者的同伴关系

采用Olweus欺负问卷和同伴提名测验,以1089名小学和初中学生为被试,考察欺负者、受欺负者与欺负-受欺负者的同伴关系特点.研究发现:(1)小学生的欺负者/受欺负者显著高于初中生;(2)男生中的期负者显著多于女生;(3)欺负者的同伴拒绝水平高于受欺负者、欺负-受欺负者和未参与者,但同伴接纳水平与未参与者无显著差异;(4)受欺负者、欺负-受欺负者的同伴拒绝水平高于、同伴接纳水平低于未参与者.在男性受欺负者中被拒绝的比例显著高于男性非受欺负者,但女性受欺负者中被拒绝的比例与女性非受欺负者之间无显著差异.     

Professional Preparation of Junior and Senior College Student Personnel Administrators

Student personnel administrators from 48 junior colleges and 45 four-year institutions identified how they distributed their professional time, the importance they attributed to 15 job functions, the relative importance they attached to academic and on-the-job training in preparing for the 15 functions, and the substantive areas they felt appropriate for graduate programs to emphasize. While on-the-job training was generally viewed as more helpful than academic preparation, the latter was perceived as at least relevant to most administrative activities. There were some differences both in the type of training recommended and in the nature of the work done by the two groups of administrators. However, in view of their general similarity, it was concluded that the unique needs of each could probably be met in a single graduate program if requirements are reasonably flexible and if satisfactory practicum-internship facilities are available in both the junior and senior college settings.     

Zimbabwean Teachers in South Africa: their Needs and Advice to Prospective Migrant Teachers

Migrants consider South Africa to be a country of greener pastures in a sub-region blighted by political and economic instability. In South Africa’s education system, Zimbabwean teachers constitute the largest group of migrant teachers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the social and professional needs of migrant Zimbabwean teachers and their advice to prospective migrant teachers. Fifteen migrant Zimbabwean teachers in public high schools or combined schools (private schools) took part in semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. The data were analysed qualitatively using open coding. The findings of the study revealed that these migrant teachers need support to overcome difficulties in classroom management, in acquiring legal documentation, and in dealing with the issues of safety and xenophobia. The findings also revealed that the teachers were in need of induction, professional development, and social and financial support. In spite of their many needs, the migrant teachers’ advice to prospective migrant teachers was that they should try their luck in South Africa.     

Cerebral Asymmetry and Reading Performance: Effect of Language Lateralization and Hand Preference

Abstract

We propose an alternative approach aimed at relating cerebral asymmetry to reading ability: the joint consideration of language lateralization and hand preference. Specifically, we studied whether children with dominance for language and control of the preferred hand lateralized to the same hemisphere (convergent cerebral organization) were better readers than were children with these processes lateralized to different hemispheres (nonconvergent organization). Eighty children, selected on the basis of the combination of these factors, were assessed using a set of reading tasks. The main finding was that subjects with convergent cerebral organization were superior in reading speed, reading accuracy, and reading comprehension.     

Comorbidity of Symptoms Among Junior and Senior High School Suicide Attempters

This paper examines comorbidity among depressive symptoms, conduct problems, and alcohol and drug abuse, in a sample of 1050 junior and senior high school students. Adolescents reporting high levels of depression along with either alcohol abuse or conduct problems were more likely to have made a suicide attempt than were adolescents reporting only one of these disorders. Adolescents reporting comorbid drug abuse plus either depression or conduct problems were more likely to have made a prior suicide attempt than those reporting only depression or conduct problems without drug abuse. The findings are discussed in the context of the literature on comorbidity and suicide attempts in community and clinical samples.     

Psychosocial Correlates of Suicide Attempts Among Junior and Senior High School Youth

Three groups of junior and senior high schools students (total N = 1050) recruited in rural counties of a mid-Atlantic state–those who had made a prior suicide attempt, those reporting high levels of depressed mood or suicidal ideation, and those who were not depressed or suicidal – were compared with regard to their reports of a number of potential risk factors for suicidal behavior. Adolescents with a history of a suicide attempt reported more frequent stresses related to parents, lack of adult supports outside of the home, police, and sexuality (i.e., concerns about pregnancy, pressure to have sex, getting sexually transmitted diseases), compared with both depressed/suicide ideators and nondepressed adolescents. Suicide attempters were also more likely than the other adolescents to report that they were physically hurt by a parent, that they ran away from home, that they lived apart from both parents, and that they knew someone who had completed suicide. Results are discussed in the context of prior studies of adolescent suicidal behavior in community and clinical samples.     

Senior Service Centers: A Comparison of Affiliated and Nonaffiliated Participants

The authors divided 275 elderly volunteers into 2 groups (affiliated and non‐affiliated participants) and examined demographic, emotional, and practical issues that affect elderly people. There were significant differences between the groups on issues of loneliness, nutrition, and overall quality of life.     

中小学生欺负问题中的性别差异的研究

本研究运用修订的Olweus欺负/受欺负问卷对我国城乡4726名中小学生进行调查,考察了欺负与受欺负的性别差异问题,结果表明1.小学生和初中生受欺负的发生率不存在显著的性别差异,而男孩中欺负他人的比率却极显著地高于女孩;2.中小学生对欺负问题的态度存在显著的性别差异,初中生对欺负的态度受性别和年级的交互作用的影响;3.中小学生不同欺负方式的发生率存在显著的性别差异,男生直接的身体欺负和间接欺负显著地高于女生,而言语欺负的性别差异并不显著.     

Emotion Regulation and Parenting in AD/HD and Comparison Boys: Linkages with Social Behaviors and Peer Preference

Children's emotion regulation strategies and parenting responses in a family task that elicited frustration are investigated by, comparing core attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) symptomatology, emotional reactivity, and emotional regulation in the prediction of social behaviors and peer social preference. Participants were boys, ages 6–12 years, either with AD/HD (n = 45) or without problem behaviors (comparison; n = 34). A high-aggressive subgroup of AD/HD boys showed a significantly less constructive pattern of emotional coping than did both a low-aggressive AD/HD subgroup of boys and nondiagnosed comparison boys, who did not differ. With statistical control of core AD/HD symptomatology, noncompliance in a naturalistic summer camp was predicted by boys' overall emotion regulation and three specific strategies (emotional accommodation, problem solving, negative responses) during the parent–child interaction. Emotional accommodation and negative responses to the frustration task also marginally predicted social preference at the camp. These emotion regulation variables outperformed emotional reactivity in predicting such outcomes. Some emotion-related parenting behaviors were associated with child coping in the task. We discuss the relationship of emotion regulation to core AD/HD symptomatology and emotional reactivity, and the role of parents' behaviors in influencing children's emotional responses.     

幼师生职业决策自我效能、学校适应与职业犹豫不决之间的关系

运用自编的职业决策自我效能量表,考察334名幼师生职业决策自我效能、学校适应与其职业犹豫不决的相关关系,结果发现职业决策自我效能对学校适应预测职业犹豫不决起到部分中介作用。进一步研究发现幼师生职业决策自我效能中的目标设定、自我概念和自我评价对其学校适应预测职业犹豫不决起部分中介作用,职业信息收集和学业成绩对此的中介效应不显著。     

Comparison of the Explicit Timing and Interspersal Interventions: Analysis of Problem Completion Rates,Student Preference,and Teacher Acceptability

Explicit timing and interspersal interventions were investigated using a within-subjects design with 45 third-grade students. A control assignment consisted of subtraction of a two digit number from a two digit number (i.e., target problem) and served as a baseline. An explicit timing assignment consisted of similar problems as those for the control assignment. The interspersal assignment consisted of similar problems as those for the control and explicit timing assignments with the addition of subtraction of a one digit number from a one digit number interspersed following every third target problem. Total problem completion rates, target problem completion rates, accuracy on target problems and students' rating regarding difficulty, time, effort, and preference between assignments for class work were collected. Student preference choices were analyzed for fit with the discrete task completion hypothesis. Three trials were administered. Results indicated that: (a) students completed more total problems during interspersal, (b) target problem completion rates were higher during explicit timing, (c) accuracy rates remained constant, (d) students rated the explicit timing assignment as requiring more time and being more difficult for all trials and as requiring more effort for trial 2 and 3, (e) students selected the interspersal assignment to do in class as compared to the explicit timing assignment for all trials, and (f) the data fit the discrete task completion hypothesis relatively well for all trials. Discussion focuses on comparing academic interventions based on problem completion rates, student preference, and acceptability data.     

Abstract: A Comparison of the Factor Mixture Model and Taxometric Procedures

Taxometric procedures and the Factor Mixture Model (FMM) have a complimentary set of strengths and weaknesses. Both approaches purport to detect evidence of a latent class structure. Taxometric procedures, popular in psychiatric and psychopathology literature, make no assumptions beyond those needed to compute means and covariances. However, Taxometric procedures assume that observed items are uncorrelated within a class or taxon. This assumption is violated when there are individual differences in the trait underlying the items (i.e., severity differences within class). FMMs can model within-class covariance structures ranging from local independence to multidimensional within-class factor models and permits the specification of more than two classes. FMMs typically rely on normality assumptions for within-class factors and error terms. FMMs are highly parameterized and susceptible to misspecifications of the within-class covariance structure.

The current study compared the Taxometric procedures MAXEIG and the Base-Rate Classification Technique to the FMM in their respective abilities to (1) correctly detect the two-class structure in simulated data, and to (2) correctly assign subjects to classes. Two class data were simulated under conditions of balanced and imbalanced relative class size, high and low class separation, and 1-factor and 2-factor within-class covariance structures. For the 2-factor data, simple and cross-loaded factor loading structures, and positive and negative factor correlations were considered. For the FMM, both correct and incorrect within-class factor structures were fit to the data.

FMMs generally outperformed Taxometric procedures in terms of both class detection and in assigning subjects to classes. Imbalanced relative class size (e.g., a small minority class and a large majority class) negatively impacted both FMM and Taxometric performance while low class separation was much more problematic for Taxometric procedures than the FMM. Comparisons of alterative FMMs based on information criteria generally resulted in correct model choice but deteriorated when small class separation was combined with imbalanced relative class size.