Monitoring experimental results

No matter whether an experiment is a success, a failure, or a mixture of the two, the E needs to see his results immediately to be able to plan his next study. For this purpose, he needs a rapid, simple, relevant analysis of the data. We define a version of this data-summarizing problem and describe a monitor program to solve it. One major decision is what search method and data file organization to use; We use the n-dimensional array method. We specify dependent variables in two parts: first, a measure code like proportion correct, reaction time, etc., and second, a series of coefficients to specify what items will make up the desired dependent measure. Our program is interactive and makes extensive use of default options. Some suggestions are made for the implementation of monitor programs on other hardware.     

The comparability of intelligence test results: Group- and individual-level comparisons of seven intelligence tests

A significant body of research has demonstrated that IQs obtained from different intelligence tests substantially correlate at the group level. Yet, there is minimal research investigating whether different intelligence tests yield comparable results for individuals. Examining this issue is paramount given that high-stakes decisions are based on individual test results. Consequently, we investigated whether seven current and widely used intelligence tests yielded comparable results for individuals between the ages of 4–20 years. Results mostly indicated substantial correlations between tests, although several significant mean differences at the group level were identified. Results associated with individual-level comparability indicated that the interpretation of exact IQ scores cannot be empirically supported, as the 95% confidence intervals could not be reliably replicated with different intelligence tests. Similar patterns also appeared for the individual-level comparability of nonverbal and verbal intelligence factor scores. Furthermore, the nominal level of intelligence systematically predicted IQ differences between tests, with above- and below-average IQ scores associated with larger differences as compared to average IQ scores. Analyses based on continuous data confirmed that differences appeared to increase toward the above-average IQ score range. These findings are critical as these are the ranges in which diagnostic questions most often arise in practice. Implications for test interpretation and test construction are discussed.     

The case for comparability

We argue that all comparative expressions in natural language obey a principle that we call Comparability: if $x$ and $y$ are at least as $F$ as themselves, then either $x$ is at least as $F$ as $y$ or $y$ is at least as $F$ as $x$. This principle has been widely rejected among philosophers, especially by ethicists, and its falsity has been claimed to have important normative implications. We argue that Comparability is needed to explain the goodness of several patterns of inference that seem manifestly valid, that the purported failures of Comparability would have absurd consequences, and that the influential arguments against Comparability are less compelling than they may have initially seemed.     

The joint flanker effect and the joint Simon effect: On the comparability of processes underlying joint compatibility effects

Previous studies observed compatibility effects in different interference paradigms such as the Simon and flanker task even when the task was distributed across two co-actors. In both Simon and flanker tasks, performance is improved in compatible trials relative to incompatible trials if one actor works on the task alone as well as if two co-actors share the task. These findings have been taken to indicate that actors automatically co-represent their co-actor’s task. However, recent research on the joint Simon and joint flanker effect suggests alternative non-social interpretations. To which degree both joint effects are driven by the same underlying processes is the question of the present study, and it was scrutinized by manipulating the visibility of the co-actor. While the joint Simon effect was not affected by the visibility of the co-actor, the joint flanker effect was reduced when participants did not see their co-actors but knew where the co-actors were seated. These findings provide further evidence for a spatial interpretation of the joint Simon effect. In contrast to recent claims, however, we propose a new explanation of the joint flanker effect that attributes the effect to an impairment in the focusing of spatial attention contingent on the visibility of the co-actor.     

Note on comparability of MicroCog test forms.

This study investigated the differences between the Standard and Short forms of MicroCog by comparing Domain scores for a clinical sample of 351 substance abusers which gave a significant difference between scores on the Spatial Processing Domain. Implications for research and clinical use are discussed.     

Doxastic divergence and the problem of comparability. Pragmatism defended further

Situations where it is not obvious which of two incompatible actions we ought to perform are commonplace. As has frequently been noted in the contemporary literature, a similar issue seems to arise in the field of beliefs. Cases of doxastic divergence are cases in which the subject seems subject to two divergent oughts to believe: an epistemic and a practical ought to believe. This article supports the moderate pragmatist view according to which subjects ought, all things considered, to hold the practically right belief in, at least, some cases of doxastic divergence. Unlike many defences of pragmatism, this paper does not aim to overcome exclusivism (briefly, the view that only epistemic, but not practical, considerations have an influence on what a subject ought to believe). Another major challenge that pragmatism faces is to show that the epistemic and the practical ought to believe are comparable. This article makes a case for their comparability.     

Psychometric adequacy and comparability of the short and full forms of the Personality Assessment Inventory

The 160-item short form of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) was developed for situations in which respondents complete only the 1st half of the test. The present study evaluates the adequacy and comparability of the full and short forms of the PAI in terms of a wide range of psychometric characteristics. In all, 421 participants completed the full form as part of a neuropsychological evaluation. Results indicated slightly lower internal consistency reliability of the short compared with the full form. Group-level agreement of short and full form scales ranged from adequate to excellent. However, within-subject agreement was somewhat more variable. Low levels of within-subject agreement were strongly associated with elevated validity scale scores. The factor structures of the full and short forms showed high congruence for a 3-factor solution. These findings suggest that many scales of the short form have adequate comparability with their respective full form scales. However, low levels of reliability across less impaired ranges of the latent trait, diminished content coverage, and altered validity detection may limit the utility of some of the short form scales.     

Implementation of experimental designs and storage of results in the PACER system of on-line control

PACER has been developed for use with assembly language programs running on a DEC PDP-11/05 machine. The system comprises an Executive and associated routines to perform many of the tasks common to experiment control programs. Attention has been given to the provision of routines to allow the implementation of experimental designs. Experimental variables are referred to asfactors, and the values of these variables are manipulated indirectly through the use of numerical labels, orlevels. Factors are described in tabular form, and means are provided for the independent or joint randomization of the associated levels. Experimental results can then be stored as functions of specified factors and output at the end of a session in a format corresponding to the structure of the experimental design.     

The comparability of two hostility measures in a normal group

Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire (HDHQ) and Personality Deviance Scale (PDS) scores were obtained from a group of normal females in order to compare the major hostility dimensions of extrapunitiveness and intropunitiveness. Statistically significant correlations resulted but only of a moderate order even when the apparently more pathological subscales were omitted from the HDHQ.     

The comparability of scores from three mathematics test of the College Entrance Examination Board

Scores from three mathematics tests of the College Entrance Examination Board were examined in order to determine the effect on the scores of (1) choice of test, (2) amount of training in mathematics, and (3) recency of training in mathematics. Groups of candidates were paired in a number of comparisons and matched by means of a regression technique which is described. On the average, students of similar ability made comparable scores on the mathematical section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test and on the Comprehensive Mathematics Test. The scores of candidates who took the Intermediate Mathematics Test averaged substantially higher than those of comparable students who took either of the other two tests. A greater amount of mathematical training and more recent training were both found to be positively related to scores on the mathematical section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test and on the Intermediate Mathematics Test, but the effect of recency appeared to be less than one might expect.The author is indebted to Mrs. L. B. Plumlee of the Educational Testing Service for her extensive aid in carrying out this project.