Multidimensional Unfolding by Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling of Spearman Distances in the Extended Permutation Polytope

A multidimensional unfolding technique that is not prone to degenerate solutions and is based on multidimensional scaling of a complete data matrix is proposed: distance information about the unfolding data and about the distances both among judges and among objects is included in the complete matrix. The latter information is derived from the permutation polytope supplemented with the objects, called the preference sphere. In this sphere, distances are measured that are closely related to Spearman's rank correlation and that are comparable among each other so that an unconditional approach is reasonable. In two simulation studies, it is shown that the proposed technique leads to acceptable recovery of given preference structures. A major practical advantage of this unfolding technique is its relatively easy implementation in existing software for multidimensional scaling.     

Multidimensional scaling of hierarchical sorting data applied to facial expressions

A new algorithm for multidimensional scaling analysis of sorting data and hierarchical-sorting data is tested by applying it to facial expressions of emotion. We construct maps in “facial expression space” for two sets of still photographs: the I-FEEL series (expressions displayed spontaneously by infants and young children), and a subset of the Lightfoot series (posed expressions, all from one actress). The analysis avoids potential artefacts by fitting a map directly to the subject's judgments, rather than transforming the data into a matrix of estimated dissimilarities as an intermediate step. The results for both stimulus sets display an improvement in the extent to which they agree with existing maps. Some points emerge about the limitations of sorting data and the need for caution when interpreting MDS configurations derived from them.     

Measuring Schwartz's values in childhood: Multidimensional scaling across instruments and cultures

The Picture-Based Value Survey for Children (PBVS-C; Döring et al., 2010) assesses children's values through self-report and thereby depicts Schwartz's theory of universal human values at an early age. Despite evidence on the PBVS-C's structural validity, there remains an open question: Does the PBVS-C measure the same values as does Schwartz's Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ; Schwartz et al., 2001), an established assessment instrument for adult and adolescent respondents? To answer this question about the PBVS-C's validity, Polish (N = 167) and German (N = 119) children's values were measured with both instruments. The multitrait–multimethod correlation matrix (Campbell & Fiske, 1959) of value items from both instruments was analysed with multidimensional scaling (MDS), as proposed by Borg and Groenen (1997). Our structural expectations for the MDS output about the distinctiveness (1) of Schwartz's higher order value types (i.e., traits) and (2) of the two assessment methods (PBVS-C and PVQ) were confirmed in both samples.     

人格测量：从累积式模型到展开式模型

当前大多数人格测量都采用的是累积式反应模型方法,该模型假设被试在测验上的得分随其能力或特质提高而增加,但是随着人格测量技术的不断发展,这一模型的实施效果遭到了质疑,研究者们开始关注展开式模型,该模型认为被试的反应取决于被试能力和项目阈值的匹配程度,当被试能力与项目阈值完全匹配时,被试做出肯定回答的概率达到最高点,称之为“理想点”,展开式模型的目的就是找到被试的理想点,从而寻找其真正的态度强度或人格特质水平。GGUM作为一种比较成熟的展开式模型,已经开始应用于人格测量的各个领域,但仍需要进行大规模的试测,在评估和预测效度方面积累经验,建立业界认可的心理测量学标准,不断探讨和开发相应的心理测量理论和简便易行的统计程序。     

Identifying similarities in cognitive subtest functional requirements: An empirical approach

In the cognitive test interpretation literature, a Rational/Intuitive, Indirect Empirical, or Combined approach is typically used to construct conceptual taxonomies of the functional (behavioral) similarities between subtests. To address shortcomings of these approaches, the functional requirements for 49 subtests from six individually administered scales of cognitive ability (WISC-IV, WPPSI-III, SB-V, WJ-III, CAS, and UNIT) were typed on index cards. Forty-eight (48) in-service and/or pre-service school psychologists were asked to sort the cards into two, three, five, or eight functionally similar piles. A multidimensional scaling analysis was performed on a 49 × 49 matrix of similarity scores collapsed across all 48 subjects. Three dimensions were extracted from the data: Reproduction of Stimuli Sequences versus Picture Viewing (Dimension 1), Timed Speed versus Untimed Power (Dimension 2), and Verbal versus Performance (Dimension 3). A hierarchical clustering procedure was then applied to the matrix data, and results were compared to previous categorization schemes identified in the test interpretation literature.     

A Multidimensional Scaling Analysis of Perceptions of Academic Dishonesty Among Fifth-Grade Students

A study was conducted to investigate the perceptions of academic dishonesty in fifth-grade students. Two methods were used to gather data: a sorting task, which was used to indirectly assess the students' perceptions, and a rating scale task, which was used to externally validate the results of the sorting task. Results of the multidimensional scaling analysis yielded two dimensions, the first being tests/homework and papers, and the second, more ambiguous appearing to differentiate based on seriousness.     

人格测验的项目反应过程与展开模型研究述评

一些研究者提出了人格测验的项目反应理想点过程假设, 并在此基础上开发了拓广等级展开模型(GGUM)用于现有人格测验的数据分析和新量表的建构, 显示出了较优势模型更优良的一些性质。不过, 现有项目反应过程的研究结果来自于大样本的调查, 缺乏实验证据的支持, GGUM也存在不适用于分析多类别人格测验数据的局限性。未来需要对GGUM进行拓展, 剔除其主观反应类别阈限对称的限定。此外, 还要重视配对格式人格测验数据分析模型的研究和开发。     

Multidimensional Scaling in Counseling Research and Practice

The authors briefly describe the use of multidimensional scaling (MDS) in counseling. They discuss types of data that have been analyzed using MDS, kinds of MDS analyses, and the interpretation of MDS results and review MDS research relevant to vocational, family, group, and individual counseling. They also briefly discuss potential applications in counseling practice.     

态度测量的新进展:二值概率展开模型及一般形式

态度测量主要应用两种模型:累进型与展开型。目前国内的相关研究主要针对累进型模型。文章在回顾累进型模型的基础上,介绍了当前国际研究最为前沿的一种新的态度测量模型———二值概率展开模型,并详细阐述了该模型的一般数学表达式。     

Scaling questions: asking and answering them in counselling1

Solution-focused counsellors use “scaling questions” to construct understandings of clients’ concerns and solutions to them. We examine how these questions are asked and answered, offering evidence of what is constructed from within counselling discourse. Also, clients and counsellors offer their retrospective accounts of their participation in question and answer sequences in their dialogues. We conclude by speaking to the implications we see from this research as it relates to collaborative and resourceful dialogue between counsellors and clients.     

Further Evidence of the Reliability and Validity of the Multidimensional Anxiety

The psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) were examined in adolescent psychiatric inpatient samples. In Study 1 (n = 287), confirmatory factor analyses provided satisfactory fit for the four-factor (comparative fit index; CFI = 0.856) and higher-order (CFI = 0.854) solutions. Using parcels as items, the fit of the four-factor model was improved substantially (CFI = 0.935). Next, in the bifactor analyses, support was attained for a model that included a general factor and four domain specific subfactors. In Study 2 (n = 195 inpatient youths), the MASC showed good scale reliability and concurrent validity. Results of the receiver operating characteristic curve and binary logistic regression analyses provided adequate evidence for discriminative validity. In Study 3 (n = 40), test–retest reliability of scores on the MASC-10 scale over a 3-week period was adequate (r _tt = 0.83, p < 0.001) for children ages 8 to 11 years.     

垂直等值的应用及最新发展述评

由于实际的需求,垂直等值方法在近些年来迅速发展。但从垂直等值方法的整个过程来看,包括垂直等值的选用、双向细目编制、发展性量尺的构建、程序的选择和结果的报告,仍存在大量有待解决的问题。同时,随着其他测量方法的发展与进步,垂直等值与之相结合从而获得了进一步的完善。综观之,垂直等值方法的发展与完善,一方面依赖于各种模型和参数估计方法的改进与创新,另一方面还依赖于研究者对学业发展本质的不断深入认识。     

Multidimensional perfectionism and the DSM-5 personality traits

Encouraging further research on the dimensional assessment of personality disorders (PDs), Section III of the DSM-5 introduced a hybrid model for the assessment of six PDs employing self-reports on 25 maladaptive personality traits (“DSM-5 personality traits”). Following suggestions that multidimensional perfectionism is an important characteristic across various personality disorders (Ayearst, Flett, & Hewitt, 2012), the present study investigated how personal (self-oriented) and interpersonal (other-oriented and socially prescribed) forms of perfectionism predicted the DSM-5 personality traits in a sample of 311 university students. Multiple regressions (controlling for the overlap between the different forms of perfectionism) showed that socially prescribed perfectionism positively predicted the traits defining schizotypal, borderline, avoidant, and obsessive-compulsive PD; other-oriented perfectionism positively predicted the traits defining narcissistic PD; and both socially prescribed and other-oriented perfectionism positively predicted the traits defining antisocial PD. In contrast, self-oriented perfectionism positively predicted only one of the four traits defining obsessive-compulsive PD (rigid perfectionism). Showing that multidimensional perfectionism predicted all DSM-5 traits defining the personality disorders of Section III, the findings suggest that future DSM-5 updates may profit from including interpersonal aspects of perfectionism as a diagnostic criterion.     

Nonparametric Estimation of Item and Respondent Locations from Unfolding-type Items

Unlike their monotone counterparts, nonparametric unfolding response models, which assume the item response function is unimodal, have seen little attention in the psychometric literature. This paper studies the nonparametric behavior of unfolding models by building on the work of Post (1992). The paper provides rigorous justification for a class of nonparametric estimators of respondents’ latent attitudes by proving that the estimators consistently rank order the respondents. The paper also suggests an algorithm for the rank ordering of items along the attitudes scale. Finally, the methods are evaluated using simulated data. This research was supported in part by an Educational Testing Service Gulliksen Fellowship, and by the National Science Foundation, Grant DMS-97.05032. The author would like to thank Brian Junker for his help and support on this paper and Paul Holland, Steve Fienberg, and Jay Kadane for their helpful comments.     

Optimal Scoring of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory in a Chronic Pain Sample

The Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI) is one of the most commonly used self-report instruments in pain settings. The MPI can be used to classify patients into three clusters or its nine scales can be treated as dimensions in efforts to understand patient heterogeneity. Previous research suggests the existence of a fourth cluster, whose members have been labeled ‘repressors,’ that emerges with the addition of a defensiveness scale to the MPI. The current paper compared the abilities of MPI cluster and dimensional models with and without a measure of defensiveness to capture variability in validating variables related to personality, psychopathology, physical functioning, and treatment outcome in a chronic pain sample. Results suggest that dimensional models consistently outperform cluster models in explaining variance in outcome variables, and that the addition of a measure of defensiveness increments the validity offered by the MPI scales. Implications for the assessment of pain patients are discussed.

多维测验项目参数的估计：基于SEM与MIRT方法的比较

作者简要回顾了SEM框架下分类数据因素分析(CCFA)模型和MIRT框架下测验题目和潜在能力的关系模型, 对两种框架下的主要参数估计方法进行了总结。通过模拟研究, 比较了SEM框架下WLSc和WLSMV估计方法与MIRT框架下MLR和MCMC估计方法的差异。研究结果表明：(1) WLSc得到参数估计的偏差最大, 且存在参数收敛的问题; (2)随着样本量增大, 各种项目参数估计的精度均提高, WLSMV方法与MLR方法得到的参数估计精度差异很小, 大多数情况下不比MCMC方法差; (3)除WLSc方法外, 随着每个维度测验题目的增多参数估计的精度逐渐增高; (4)测验维度对区分度参数和难度参数的影响较大, 而测验维度对项目因素载荷和阈值的影响相对较小; (5)项目参数的估计精度受项目测量维度数的影响, 只测量一个维度的项目参数估计精度较高。另外文章还对两种方法在实际应用中应该注意的问题提供了一些建议。     

Constrained multidimensional unfolding of confusion matrices: Goal point and slide vector models

Two constrained multidimensional unfolding models, the goal point and slide vector models, are proposed for analyzing confusion matrices. In both models, the row and column stimuli are expressed as two sets of points in a low-dimensional space, where the difference vector connecting a column point to the corresponding row point indicates the change in the stimulus representation through a cognitive process. The difference vector is constrained by the hypothesis that the trend in the representational change is invariant across stimuli: the goal point model constrains all difference vectors to point toward a single point, and the slide vector model constrains all difference vectors to be parallel to each other. In both models the coordinates of points are estimated by the maximum-likelihood method. Examples illustrate that the two models allow us to examine hypotheses about invariant trends in representational changes and to grasp such trends from the resulting configurations.     

Children with Autism and Their Friends: A Multidimensional Study of Friendship in High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study of Israeli and American preadolescent children examined characteristics of friendship in 44 children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) compared to 38 typically developing children (TYP), as they interacted with a close friend Participants were 8-12 years of age (HFASD: Israel, n = 24; USA, n = 20; TYP: Israel, n = 23; USA, n = 15), and were matched on SES, receptive language vocabulary, child age, and gender (each study group included one girl). Multidimensional assessments included: individual behaviors of target children and observed child-friend interactions during construction and drawing scenarios; target child's and friend's self-perceived mutual friendship qualities; and mother-reported characteristics (friendship's duration/frequency; friend's age/gender/disability status). Overall, children with HFASD displayed a number of differences on individual and dyadic friendship measures. Both age and verbal abilities affected friendship behaviors. Children with HFASD and their friends perceived friendship qualities similarly, suggesting that preadolescents with HFASD have capacities for interpersonal awareness. Between-group similarities also emerged on several complex social behaviors, suggesting that friendship follows a developmental trajectory in autism and may enhance social interaction skills in autism.     

垂直量尺化中的参数标定方法及其性能比较

在使用项目反应理论进行量尺化的语境下, 参数标定方法是垂直量尺化结果的一个至关重要的影响因素。目前的参数标定研究就部分标定方法的相对性能获得了较一致的结果, 就如何实现更佳量尺化也提出了很多新的标定方法。除了在既有框架内继续探索, 以形成完整的研究体系, 未来的研究应结合相关学科, 在深入了解学业增长的性质的基础上探究标定方法的性能, 并应考察特定的标定方法和特定的研究条件、量尺化语境之间的最佳匹配关系。