A brief scoring method for voice stress analysis

The Psychological Stress Evaluator (PSE) detects inaudible frequency changes in the human voice, and it is claimed that the pattern of these changes can provide a measure of psychophysiological arousal. A few studies have given some support to this hypothesis, but further clarifica tion is needed. One major technical problem in this research is that the traditional scoring esyStem is unreliable unless considerable numbers of scores are taken and averaged , The paper presents a conveniently brief scoring system which has fair reliahility, and which correlates significantly with a measure of Critical Flicker Fusion Threshold.     

The future case: An alternative to single case study

Traditional single case studies have tended to focus on the individual's past and/or present with minimal reference to one's future. This allows for an incomplete assessment of the reality in which humans participate as organisms-in-process. The future case is advanced as a complement to traditional single case designs. Emphasis is upon imaginative and creative involvement with one's future in the clinical setting. The rationale and concrete outline for this future invention process reflect how individuals can move beyond restricting conditions to higher levels of emotional growth and satisfaction.     

Development of a Spanish version of the Participation Motivation Inventory for young competitive swimmers

The present study examined the validity of a Spanish version of the Participation Motivation Inventory, modified for swimming by Gould, Feltz, and Weiss in 1985, and investigated whether young swimmers differing in sex and age vary in their objectives for participation. Swimmers (204 boys and 224 girls, ranging in age from 8 to 22 years) were administered the inventory. Factor analysis with varimax rotation identified seven factors fairly consistent with previous research. Differences were found across age and sex. Females placed greater emphasis than males on Friendship and Fun and indicated lower importance rating to Status. Younger children (8-10 years) rated Fun/Friendship, Competition/Skills, Significant Others, and Status significantly higher in importance than did the other age groups.     

An alternative to the methodology for analysis of covariance

A general statistical model for simultaneous analysis of data from several groups is described. The model is primarily designed to be used for the analysis of covariance. The model can handle any number of covariates and criterion variables, and any number of treatment groups. Treatment effects may be assessed when the treatment groups are not randomized. In addition, the model allows for measurement errors in the criterion variables as well as in the covariates. A wide variety of hypotheses concerning the parameters of the model can be tested by means of a large sample likelihood ratio test. In particular, the usual assumptions of ANCOVA may be tested.Research reported in this paper has been partly supported by the Swedish Council for Social Science Research under project Statistical methods for analysis of longitudinal data, project director Karl G. Jöreskog, and partly by the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation under project Structural Equation Models in the Social Sciences, project director Karl G. Jöreskog.     

Health Care Providers Inventory: a method for evaluating nursing aides

The Health Care Providers Inventory (HCPI) is a 70-item questionnaire containing five primary scales and a validity scale. It is a pre-employment instrument designed to evaluate American nursing aides. In this study, I determined that the HCPI is a reliable, non-discriminatory test. Concurrent, construct, and predictive validity data are reported, which indicate that the HCPI measures significant personality characteristics, and is of value to administrators in their hiring of suitable applicants and in the reduction of employee turnover in nursing homes.     

Cloze analysis in schizophrenic speech: scoring method and raters' education

This report examines two methodologic concerns pertaining to use of the cloze procedure in studying the predictability of schizophrenic speech, scoring criteria and raters' education (at or below college level). We find that two strategies for scoring the predictions of raters, one requiring the exact word, the other permitting a reasonable synonym, do not appear to differ in distinguishing groups of patients. The accuracy of raters' guessing is, however, correlated with raters' education: the more educated the rater, the more accurate the guessing. Thought-disordered schizophrenic speech is significantly less predictable than that of nonthought-disordered schizophrenics and normal controls when scored by less educated raters. These differences diminish when more highly educated raters are used. We conclude that raters' education can influence the sensitivity of cloze analysis.     

An alternative scaling method for priorities in hierarchical structures

The early contributions of Saaty have spawned a multitude of applications of principal right (PR) eigenvector “scaling” of a dominance matrix [R]. Prior to Saaty's work (1977–1984) scaling of dominance matrices received little attention in multidimensional scaling, e.g., see Shepard (1972, pp. 26–27). This eigenvector method (EM) of scaling [R] yields u_i scores (weights) popularly used at each branching of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique that has been increasingly applied in multiple criterion analysis of utility, preference, probability, and performance. In this paper, it is proposed that an alternate least squares method (LSM) scaling technique yielding least squares optimal scores (weights) provides $\text{w}{}_{\mathrm{i}}{}^1$ values having a number of important advantages over u_i scores popularly utilized to date.     

Identity, Reasoning, and Emotion: An Empirical Comparison of Three Sources of Moral Motivation

Prior research on moral motivation has primarily emphasized moral reasoning and moral emotion; however, identity may also play an important role. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the relative importance of prosocial identity, prosocial moral reasoning, and empathy in predicting prosocial behavior. The sample included 91 university students, ages 19–35 years (M=21.89; SD=3.01; 80% European American; 65% female). Prosocial identity and empathy, but not prosocial moral reasoning, were positively associated with overall prosocial behavior. Exploratory analyses examined how these three sources of prosocial motivation differentially related to six forms of prosocial behavior. Results suggest the importance of considering the roles of all three sources of moral motivation.     

Sources of work motivation of business leaders in the USA and South Africa: a cross-cultural comparison using the Motivational Sources Inventory

Motivational differences in response to the Motivation Sources Inventory were tested between U.S. (n = 138) and South-African (n = 114) work samples. Analysis indicated that American managers scored significantly higher on intrinsic process (fun), while South-African managers scored significantly higher on self-concept external and goal internalization when measured using ratio analysis. Replication and extension with large groups representative of populations of interest in conjunction with Hofstede's cultural dimensions could allow generalization.     

An alternative approach to the method of correct matching

The correct matching method is treated in a new way which increases its power and enables the results to be expressed by a correlation coefficient. Tables for 3n7 are included.I wish to express my thanks and indebtedness to Professor Louis Guttman for his assistance and guidance. Also I am grateful for helpful discussions with Dr. D. Kahneman, O. E. Schild, and J. Norman.     

Motivation for orienteering An exploratory analysis using confirmatory factor analytic techniques

The aim of the present study was to investigate and identify different dimensions of motivation for the sport of orienteering, as well as to compare the strength of these dimensions by sex and age. Data for 512 subjects was analyzed with confirmatory factor analytic techniques in an extensive process where model generating was the primary matter of interest. There appear to be three broad main dimensions of motivation for orienteering. There is a main distinction between a social-recreational dimension and one reflecting a desire to achieve. Within the social-recreational dimension it is possible to identify more specific factors. In addition, there seems to be a relatively broad and distinct dimension, which is partly related to the other two, reflecting a search for internal stimulation. Comparisons of means of latent variables by sex and age indicate a number of clear and interesting differences.     

The factor structure of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory: an alternative view

Past studies of the factor structure of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, Vagg, & Jacobs, 1983) have arrived at various solutions. However, a relatively strong consensus supports a four-factor (State Anxiety Present, State Anxiety Absent, Trait Anxiety Present, and Trait Anxiety Absent) structure of the scale resulting from the combination of item polarity dimensions and the original two factors (State and Trait Anxiety). In this article, we assessed the adequacy of an alternative factor model of STAI data, the two-construct, two-method model, in three large samples using confirmatory factor analysis. The results revealed a statistical advantage of the two-construct, two-method model over the one-factor model, the two-construct factor model, and the four-factor model. We discuss possible interpretational advantages of the two-construct, two-method model of the STAI.     

Typicality Index of the Strong Interest Inventory: a binomial analysis

The Typicality Index of the 2004 Strong Interest Inventory was developed by Donnay, Morris, Schaubhut, and Thompson to identify inconsistent or other atypical responding. Analysis by the binomial distribution shows that the index, with the recommended cut score, correctly classifies 95.1% of randomly completed inventories.     

An openness scale for the California Psychological Inventory

We developed a 36-item scale to measure Openness, using items on the California Psychological Inventory (CPI; Gough, 1957, 1987, 1996), Form 434. Items were initially chosen on the basis of content validity. Five samples (N = 2,375) were used to establish reliability, validity, and norms; 4 samples consisted of university undergraduate students, and 1 comprised applicants for nonmanagement call centerjobs. Internal consistency estimates obtained in each sample averaged approximately .75, and test-retest stability, assessed in 1 sample, was estimated at .84. Cross-correlations with related scales, for example, the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised Openness scale (Costa & McCrae, 1992) and other CPI-based scales, provided evidence of construct validity. Statistically significant predictive validities were obtained in 2 call centerjob-incumbent samples, with range-corrected true validities of .20 to .36 for a number of job performance criteria. Construct and predictive validity were found to be higher than for other scales consisting of CPI items designed to measure Openness or a related construct. Finally, norms were prepared for university undergraduate students (n = 1,847) and nonmanagement service-sector job applicants (n = 528).     

Enhancing accuracy in observational test scoring: the comprehensive system as a case example

Inaccuracies in administration and scoring can potentially compromise the validity of any standardized psychosocial measure. The threat is particularly pertinent to methods involving behavioral observation, a category that includes many intelligence tests, neuropsychological measures, personality assessment instruments, and diagnostic procedures. Despite evidence and conjecture that errors in testing procedure are common for at least some of these measures and that these errors are often severe enough to influence interpretation, the topic has received relatively little attention. In particular, the absence of any safeguard against inaccurate test use in clinical situations can put the respondent at risk and violates ethical standards for the use of tests. In this article, I review some issues surrounding accuracy in testing procedures, including a discussion of what is known about the problem, an evaluation of several approaches to improving testing practices, and a review of recommendations for the statistical evaluation of rater accuracy. In this article, I use the Rorschach Comprehensive System (Exner, 1993) to demonstrate the concepts discussed.