Student MEL software support for instructors and teaching assistants in research methods course

A number of common problems plague the teaching of the undergraduate research methods course, from the training of teaching assistants to providing meaningful experimental materials to handling data acquisition and analysis. The Student Micro Experimental Laboratory (MEL) offers a systematic approach to the management of a computerized research methods laboratory course by combining high-quality experiments in many areas of psychology with background materials to help the instructor and teaching assistant. The software presents and collects data from 28 experiments. The data can be analyzed for single subjects and for classes as a whole. Students can rapidly implement new experiments in a variety of paradigms. An expanding library of experiments created by students and instructors should provide an expanding environment for teaching experimental research methods. Instructor’s materials provide background information, discussion questions, and data analysis for all experiments. The student workbook provides discussion of the background of the experiment, details of the methodology, and questions addressing various aspects of experimental design and interpretation of data.     

Teaching sensory processes with multimedia: One of my teaching assistants is a mouse

Experiences and lessons drawn from the author’s development and use of multimedia materials in a course on sensory processes are discussed. Results from surveys of student reactions to the effectiveness of multimedia in this course identify several potential pitfalls. Issues are identified on which research is needed.     

An information theoretic measure for the evaluation of ordinal scale data

This article describes a new measure of dispersion as an indication of consensus and dissention. Building on the generally accepted Shannon entropy, this measure utilizes a probability distribution and the ordered ranking of categories in an ordinal scale distribution to yield a value confined to the unit interval. Unlike other measures that need to be normalized, this measure is always in the interval 0 to 1. The measure is typically applied to the Likert scale to determine degrees of agreement among ordinal-ranked categories when one is dealing with data collection and analysis, although other scales are possible. Using this measure, investigators can easily determine the proximity of ordinal data to consensus (agreement) or dissention. Consensus and dissention are defined relative to the degree of proximity of values constituting a frequency distribution on the ordinal scale measure. The authors identify a set of criteria that a measure must satisfy in order to be an acceptable indicator of consensus and show how the consensus measure satisfies all the criteria.     

The claustrophobia scale: a psychometric evaluation

This article presents a psychometric evaluation of the Claustrophobia Scale (CS), consisting of one subscale for measuring anxiety (20 items, 0-4) and one for avoidance (18 items, 0-2). Participants were 87 claustrophobic patients and 200 normal controls randomly selected from the community. The results show that CS has excellent internal consistency, high test-retest reliability, concurrent and discriminant validity. The patients and controls differ significantly on the total scores of anxiety and avoidance, as well as on each individual item scores. The CS was also found to be sensitive to change after cognitive behavioral treatment. Preliminary factor analyses yielded two factors for each subscale; "Being in small enclosed spaces" and "Other people present", accounting for large proportions of the variance. The CS is useful both as a state, and as an outcome self-report measure of claustrophobia.     

Diagnostic implications of McCarthy scale general cognitive index/binet IQ discrepancies for low-socioeconomic-status preschool children

This study compared McCarthy Scale General Cognitive Index (GCI) and Stanford-Binet IQ discrepancies for both normal and handicapped preschool children of low socioeconomic status (SES). Both tests were administered in counter-balanced order to a total of 70 children. The results of these comparisons yielded a significant positive relationship between GCI and IQ, as well as a significant discrepancy between the two scores, favoring IQ, of a relatively small magnitude (3.9 points). There were significant discrepancies favoring IQ for the subgroups of learning-disabled, speech-impaired, and mentally retarded, those for all but mentally retarded being of relatively small magnitude; thus, the learning-disabled group was not uniquely characterized by a large discrepancy. In contrast to results consistently favoring IQ over GCI, when age groups were compared, the younger, 3 year olds, showed the reverse, though nonsignificant, trend.     

A critical evaluation of software for experiment development in research and teaching

This paper compares several software packages that allow users to create new computer-run experiments, but do not require that users be able to program. Three dimensions are considered: package requirements, ease of learning, and power and flexibility.     

An evaluation scale of family environment for identification of children at risk of school failure

This study describes the development of the Home Environment Resources Scale, a Brazilian measure for families with children ages 6 to 12 years. The scale measures aspects of support for school achievement, made available to the child at home. A first version of the measure with 11 subscales was administered to 100 mothers or guardians of children with poor school achievement in a clinical setting. Analysis of the items in the first version resulted in a final version comprising 8 subscales with acceptable indices of internal consistency. Two validity studies were conducted. One aimed at verifying to what extent the Home Environment Resources Scale could discriminate the home environment of students referred to a mental health clinic on account of poor school performance. The sample included mothers of 53 referred and 23 nonreferred children. The two groups differed significantly in home resources and on four subscales. The other study assessed the validity, i.e., prediction of the academic outcome of children entering Grade 1. 70 children and their mothers participated. Results indicate that school achievement and social competence at school are mediated by family support.     

An evaluation of a perceived overqualification scale across work settings

The authors extended and evaluated the dimensionality of the L. J. Khan and P. C. Morrow (1991) subjective underemployment scale. They used data from 3 independent samples to assess the measurement properties of the scale. The results of confirmatory factor analyses supported 2 dimensions and indicated that the measurement model parameters partially generalized across samples. Correlational and additional confirmatory factor analytic results rendered empirical support for most of the postulated relationships of the 2 overqualification dimensions with the somatization, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment variables. The findings indicate that the scale of perceived overqualification needs to be further developed and validated in different samples. The implications of the findings for person-job fit are discussed.     

Psychometric evaluation of the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue scale for use with pregnant and postpartum women

Although fatigue is a common experience for pregnant women and new mothers, few measures of fatigue have been validated for use with this population. To address this gap, the authors assessed psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue (MAF) scale, which was used in 2 independent samples of pregnant women. Results indicated that the psychometric properties of the scale were very similar across samples and time points. The scale possesses a high level of internal consistency, has good convergent validity with measures of sleep quality and depression, and discriminates well from a measure of social support. Contrary to previous evaluations of the MAF, data strongly suggest that the scale represents a unidimensional construct best represented by a single factor. Results indicate that the MAF is a useful measure of fatigue among pregnant and postpartum women.     

An empirical evaluation of a scale to measure occupational aspiration level

Data from 34,118 American high school students are used to evaluate the Occupational Aspiration Scale (OAS). The OAS is successively reevaluated for each of 16 subsamples (cells) generated by cross-classifying respondents by grade in school (9–12), sex, and socioeconomic status (SES). In each cell the OAS is found to be essentially unifactorial, and that factor is identified as level of occupational aspiration (LOA). The reliability of the OAS is slightly lower among females ($\text{r}$_kk = .681) than among males ($\text{r}$_kk = .756); it does not vary appreciably by grade or SES. The mean scores are lower for youth from low SES families than for those from high SES families, in accord with previous research. Mean OAS differences due to sex and grade are small. No important differences by age, sex, or SES are found in the standard deviations of the test scores. This and previously published data from small, local samples indicate that the reliability and validity of the OAS are sufficient for research on high school youth of both sexes and from both higher and lower SES levels.     

An evaluation of the perceived stress scale in two clinical populations

The relation of perceived stress and psychosocial dysfunction was examined in two clinical samples identifying stress as a personal problem. Perceived stress was significantly correlated with self-reported negative affect and physical symptoms. Negative and total major life event scores also were significantly correlated with self-reported negative affect and physical symptoms. However, the perceived stress scale and the life events measures were moderately correlated, indicating that the two scales assess different features of the stress experience. A major finding of this study was that perceived stress scores were significantly correlated with affective and physical symptoms even after the variance associated with life events had been partialed out.     

Psychometric evaluation and experimental validation of the statistics anxiety rating scale

The Statistics Anxiety Rating Scale (STARS) was adapted into German to examine its psychometric properties (n = 400). Two validation studies (n = 66, n = 96) were conducted to examine its criterion-related validity. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire were very similar to those previously reported for the original English version in various countries and other language versions. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated 2 second-order factors: One was more closely related to anxiety and the other was more closely related to negative attitudes toward statistics. Predictive validity of the STARS was shown both in an experimental exam-like situation in the laboratory and during a real examination situation. Taken together, the findings indicate that statistics anxiety as assessed by the STARS is a useful construct that is more than just an expression of a more general disposition to anxiety.     

Development of an evaluation scale for sitting and standing from the ground for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

The authors developed an evaluation scale for sit-stand from the ground for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and tested its reliability. The construction occurred in stages: (a) the characterization of the movement in healthy children, (b) the characterization of the movement in children with DMD, (c) the elaboration of the 1st version of the scale and the manual, (d) the evaluation by experts and readjustments, and (e) the analysis of inter- and intraexaminer reliability and correlation with the Vignos Scale, age, and time for the execution of the activity. The scale comprehended 3 phases for sitting and 5 for the standing. A very good repeatability of the measures of sitting and standing (ICC = 0.89 and 0.84, respectively) and excellent reproducibility (ICC = 0.93 and 0.92, respectively) was demonstrated. The Kappa coefficient for the 8 phases in the interexaminer analysis varied from 0.77 to 1.00 (excellent reliability), and in the intraexaminer analysis varied from 0.80 to 1.00 (excellent reliability). Good correlation was found between the variables on the Vignos Scale (age: r = 0.58; stand: r = 0.56). The scale is a reliability instrument that allows evaluation of the activity of sitting and standing in children with DMD.     

Diagnostic construct validity of MMPI-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) scale scores

In the current investigation, the authors examined the diagnostic construct validity of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) in a patient sample. All participants were diagnosed via the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I/P). The data set used in this study was composed of 544 patients--67 with bipolar disorder, 407 with major depressive disorder, and 70 with schizophrenia. Multivariate analyses revealed a pattern of mean scale differences among patient groups that was mostly consistent with the prominent features of each diagnostic group; logistic regression analyses identified a number of scales that were strong, unique predictors in the differentiation between pairs of diagnostic groups. The higher order scales (H-O)--the Emotional/Internalizing Dysfunction (EID) and Thought Dysfunction (THD) scales were most useful in differentiating between patient groups. For differentiating bipolar disorder patients from the other diagnostic groups, the Activation (ACT) Specific Problem scale was most useful. Although not all hypothesized scale differences emerged; overall, the pattern of results provides support for the diagnostic construct validity of the MMPI-2-RF scales.     

Further psychometric evaluation of the Japanese version of an academic self-concept scale

In the present study, the author replicated earlier research (Paik & Michael, 1999) seeking additional information on the reliability and construct validity of a Japanese academic self-concept scale, a 70-item questionnaire comprising 5 subscales (Aspiration, Anxiety, Academic Interest and Satisfaction, Leadership and Initiative, and Identification vs. Alienation). A sample of 196 Japanese high school students completed the scale. Internal consistency reliability for the 5 subscales ranged from .75 to .87. Confirmatory factor analyses performed on several alternative models showed that the a priori 5-factor model fit the observed data best-a finding consistent with the previous study. Results of Z tests revealed statistically significant score differences between genders and between high and low academic achievers.