An ordinal evaluation of categorical judgement data by random utilities and a corresponding correlation analysis

Categorical judgement data are analyzed along the lines of random utility theory. A class of orders is introduced (categorical weak orders); their characteristic vectors are regarded as points in a Euclidean space; their convex hull forms a polytope whose facets are fully characterized. This polytope is shown to correspond to an order polytope. Furthermore, its relation to the biorder polytope is pointed out. The convex representations of a given point of the polytope are discussed. The impact of these results on the methods of analyzing data arising from a categorical judgement procedure is outlined. In particular, some consequences are drawn with respect to the usual evaluation of correlations of such data.     

Multidimensional scaling and threshold graphs

A set of data has a Guttman scale if and only if a corresponding graph is a threshold graph. In this paper we relate the concepts of disjunctive and conjuctive Guttman scales, and biorder dimension to the threshold dimension of a graph. For those graphical properties that can be tested in polynomial time, the comparable Guttman scaling techniques can be performed in polynomial time. Fast algorithms are provided for computing a Guttman scale, and the conjunctive and disjunctive dimension of data with no 3-crowns. We define an extended Guttman scale to indicate strength of agreement, dominance, etc., and show that this, too, exists if and only if a particular graph is a threshold graph.     

THE CONCEPT OF CONTINUOUS CREATION PART I: HISTORY AND CONTEMPORARY USE

The concept of continuous creation is now widely used in the context of reflections on the dialogue between science and religion. The first part of this research work seeks to understand its meaning through a twofold elaboration: (1) the historical setting of the three philosophical trends in which this concept was developed: scholastic (conservation), Cartesian (conservation through repetition of the creative act at each instant), and dynamic (interpreting the emergence of radical and contingent novelty in nature as a sign of the continuity of creation); (2) a philosophical and theological critique of the concept of continuous creation regarding the question of the relationship between change and creation, in the light of its highly polymorphous contemporary use, and, in opposition, its absence within the Catholic Magisterium. This work opens the field a further step toward reflection on a renewed concept of continuous creation.     

Semiorders with separability properties

We analyze different separability conditions that characterize the numerical representability of semiorders through a real-valued function and a strictly positive threshold. Any necessary and sufficient condition for the numerical representability of an interval order by means of two real-valued functions is proved to also characterize the Scott–Suppes representability of semiorders provided that a key additional condition of regularity with respect to sequences holds.     

Ecocultural effects on self‐concept. A study with young indigenous people from different sociodemographic contexts

This study explores self‐concept among indigenous young people from different ecocultural niches in Chiapas (Mexico) through a particular self‐concept task. Previous theory and research has described 3 cultural models linked with specific sociodemographic settings that foster particular psychologies. Our aim was to compare the results of the self‐concept test among indigenous groups from different sociodemographic settings in order to observed possible differences. We predicted that individuals from rural communities with little formal education (hypothesised to be Interdependent) would have self‐concepts with more social and less personal components than would those with an urban, highly educated (hypothesised to be Independent), and we expected a third group of highly educated young people living in an urban context but with a rural background (hypothesised to be autonomous‐related group) to value social and personal components equally. The results supported this hypothesis. Based on ecocultural theory, it is suggested that sociodemographic contexts affect the self‐concept.     

Conceptual change in physics: children’s naive representations of sound

The organization of physics knowledge (degree of coherence and nature of conceptual change) was studied in 89 6–10-year-old children using the concept of sound. We attempted to determine whether children apply properties of objects to sound or if they consider sounds as a vibratory process. Three properties of physical objects were studied: substantiality, weight, and permanence. The younger children considered sound more like an object than the older children did. Substantiality was attributed to sound more often than were weight and permanence. Based on the substantiality data, four mental models were identified (sound cannot pass through other objects unless there are holes, sound can pass through solids if it is harder than they are, sound is immaterial, sound is a vibratory process). We concluded that conceptual change in knowledge about sound does not happen through the sudden transfer of the concept from the ontological category of matter to the ontological category of processes, but rather through a slow and gradual process of belief revision, in the course of which the various properties of matter are abandoned in a hierarchical order.     

Occluded motion alters event perception

We employed audiovisual stream/bounce displays, in which two moving objects with crossing trajectories are more likely to be perceived as bouncing off, rather than streaming through, each other when a brief sound is presented at the coincidence of the two objects. However, Kawachi and Gyoba (Perception 35:1289–1294, 2006b) reported that the presence of an additional moving object near the two objects altered the perception of a bouncing event to that of a streaming event. In this study, we extended this finding and examined whether alteration of the event perception could be induced by the visual context, such as by occluded object motion near the stream/bounce display. The results demonstrated that even when the sound was presented, the continuous occluded motion strongly biased observers’ percepts toward the streaming percept during a short occlusion interval (approximately 100 ms). In contrast, when the continuous occluded motion was disrupted by introducing a spatiotemporal gap in the motion trajectory or by removing occlusion cues such as deletion/accretion, the bias toward the streaming percept declined. Thus, we suggest that a representation of object motion generated under a limited occlusion interval interferes with audiovisual event perception.     

Shortening of subjective tone intervals followed by repetitive tone stimuli

Accumulated evidence shows that a subjective time interval is lengthened by preceding or concurrent presentation of flickers or repetitive tone stimuli that have been hypothesized to increase the frequency of pulse generation by a brain pacemaker. In the present study, we presented a series of repetitive tone stimuli after an interval that started and ended with tone markers. We found that subjective perception of the preceding interval was not lengthened but shortened by the tone stimuli that followed the interval. The perceived duration decreased as the frequency of the repetitive tone stimuli increased. The effect disappeared when the repetitive tone stimuli were delivered with a delay of 500 msec after the test interval or when continuous sound was delivered instead of delivering a rapid series of tones. On the basis of the results, we propose that the pulse count accumulated during a test interval was normalized by the clock frequency just after the test interval in a postdictive manner.     

A scenario for change: reflective practice for post-ordination professional development

The continuing professional development of ordained ministers is an important concept given the ever-changing nature of ministry and society as a whole. Within such a context, professional development needs to cope with continuous change through reflective practice in order to challenge and renew expertise. The proposed scenario for change seeks to embed reflective practice as the central method for the professional development of ordained ministers, thereby extending reflective practice from training and into the mode of lifelong learning. Components of this approach will include: ? Intentional reflective practice as the central methodology.

? Communities of practice as the central location for reflective practice.

? Facilitation as the central mechanism for reflective practice.

     

Facets of the linear ordering polytope: A unification for the fence family through weighted graphs

The binary choice polytope appeared in the investigation of the binary choice problem formulated by Guilbaud and Block and Marschak. It is nowadays known to be the same as the linear ordering polytope from operations research (as studied by Grötschel, Jünger and Reinelt).The central problem is to find facet-defining linear inequalities for the polytope. Fence inequalities constitute a prominent class of such inequalities (Cohen and Falmagne; Grötschel, Jünger and Reinelt). Two different generalizations exist for this class: the reinforced fence inequalities of Leung and Lee, and independently Suck, and the stability-critical fence inequalities of Koppen. Together with the fence inequalities, these inequalities form the fence family. Building on previous work on the biorder polytope by Christophe, Doignon and Fiorini, we provide a new class of inequalities which unifies all inequalities from the fence family. The proof is based on a projection of polytopes. The new class of facet-defining inequalities is related to a specific class of weighted graphs, whose definition relies on a curious extension of the stability number. We investigate this class of weighted graphs which generalize the stability-critical graphs.     

DETECTING CHANGES IN NON‐SIMULATED EVENTS USING PARTIAL INTERVAL RECORDING AND MOMENTARY TIME SAMPLING: EVALUATING FALSE POSITIVES,FALSE NEGATIVES,AND TRENDING

Several studies have evaluated false positives and false negatives produced with partial interval recording (PIR) and momentary time sampling (MTS) using simulated data. However, no study to date has evaluated false positives and negatives using a large sample of non‐simulated behaviors. In addition, few studies have evaluated whether interval methods of data collection alter trends that are evident in continuous records. We conducted three experiments to evaluate the extent to which various interval sizes of MTS and PIR produced false negatives (Experiment 1), false positives (Experiment 2), and trends that were inconsistent with the continuous records (Experiment 3). Collectively, the results show the following: (i) 10‐s PIR and 10‐s MTS produced few false negatives and few false positives (i.e., both were sensitive) to changes in duration events; (ii) 10‐s PIR produced very few false negatives, but an unexpected high percentage of false positives for frequency events; and (iii) each interval size of PIR and MTS produced a high percentage of changes in trending for duration events and frequency events. We briefly discuss the potential limitations and clinical implications of these findings. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An evaluation of time-sample measures of behavior

Continuous and time-sample measures of the in-seat behavior of a secretary were obtained. Measurement error, i.e., the extent to which the sample measures deviated from the continuous measure, was a function of the frequency of the sample measurements and the criterion used to score an example of the behavior. If the behavior had to be exhibited throughout the observational interval (whole-interval time sampling), there was a consistent underestimate of the continuous measure. If the behavior had to be exhibited only briefly within the observational interval (partial-interval time sampling), there was a consistent overestimate of the continuous measure. And, if the behavior had to be exhibited at the end of the observational interval (momentary time sampling), overestimations and underestimations of the continuous measure occurred about equally often. As expected, the more frequently the sample measures were made the closer was the agreement between the sample and continuous measures. Two conclusions concerning measurement error in interval time sampling were made. The first was that the error will be a function of the mean time per response. The second is that this error will not be consistent across experimental conditions.     

Unpacking the debate: A qualitative investigation of first-time experiences with interval exercise

ObjectiveThere has been compelling debate about whether interval exercise should be promoted in public health strategies as a means of eliciting the health and fitness adaptations associated with physical activity behavior, particularly among individuals who are inactive. Despite a rapidly growing body of quantitative research, there is a notable absence of qualitative research on the topic. This study used a series of interviews conducted over time to develop a richer understanding of inactive adults’ experiences and perceptions of moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and sprint interval training (SIT) over time and factors that may influence their participation in these types of exercise.MethodsThirty inactive young adults (18 women, 12 men) completed three lab-based trials of cycling exercise in a random order on separate days: MICT, HIIT, and SIT, and subsequently logged their free-living exercise over four weeks. Interviews were conducted at five timepoints and subjected to a reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsThree overarching themes were constructed: (1) interval exercise sounds appealing, but is it for me? (2) exercise trade-offs – the value of interval vs. traditional exercise, and (3) real-world exercise adaptations to make it on your own.ConclusionsThe findings emphasize that people respond differently to different forms of exercise and the factors that influence participation in interval or continuous exercise are far more complex than can be captured by quantitative methodologies alone. Results suggest there is indeed a place for interval exercise in exercise plans and programs for the general population and interval exercise can be used concurrently with continuous exercise.     

Musical expertise affects the sense of agency: Intentional binding in expert pianists

Intentional Binding (IB), a subjective compression of the time interval between a voluntary action and its consequence, is an implicit measure of the sense of agency (the feeling of controlling one's own actions and their outcomes). The sense of agency is influenced by experience, e.g. learning, development, or learned contingency. The present study aimed at analyzing expertise – an expert competence acquired through experience alone – as a possible means to affect the sense of agency. We compared performance of expert pianists and non-musicians within the IB paradigm with two types of sensory outcome – a piano note and an electronic sound. Pianists showed significantly greater outcome binding and composite binding for both types of stimuli. Therefore, musical expertise might influence the sense of agency, possibly due to continuous exposure to action-outcome associations during the musical training. Additionally, such effect might extend beyond the specific expertise to the other types of auditory outcomes.     

小学低年级儿童的等值分数概念发展及干预

等值分数概念的发展要以相对量概念和乘法思维为基础。实验1将小学一至三年级儿童等值分数概念的发展划分为3个阶段：整体量概念、数量化的相对量概念、正式的等值分数概念, 结果表明一年级儿童尚未获得数量化的相对量概念, 二年级儿童尚未发展起成熟的乘法思维。基于此, 依据最近发展区原理设计了干预实验。实验2的干预方法是在一年级儿童的整体量概念基础上促进其数量化的相对量概念的发展, 实验3的干预方法是通过熟悉的任务情境来促进二年级儿童对乘法关系的实际意义的理解, 从而促进其乘法思维的发展。这些干预方法达到了预期效果, 为开展等值分数的早期教学提供了借鉴。     

Cultural Psychology of Differences and EMS; a New Theoretical Framework for Understanding and Reconstructing Culture

In this paper I introduce the outlines of our new type of theoretical framework named ‘Cultural psychology of Differences’ for understanding cultural others and dialogically reconstructing interactions among cultural others. In order to understand cultural others, it is necessary for us to reconstruct a new concept which enables us to analyze dynamic generation processes of culture. We propose the concept of Expanded Mediational Structure, EMS, as an elementary unit for understanding human social interactions. EMS is composed of subjects who interacts each other using objects of some kind as mediators, and a normative mediator, NM, which mediates their interactions. It is necessary to generate, share and adjust a NM to keep social interactions stable, and culture will appear when interaction malfunction is attributed to a gaps of NMs. The concept of EMS helps us to understand how culture is functionally substantialized in the plane of collective (or communal) intersubjectivity and how cultural conflicts develop and intensify. Focusing on the generation process of culture through interactions provides us with another option to understand cultural others through dialogical interactions with them.     

Temporal dynamics of the eye–voice span and eye movement control during oral reading

The distance between eye movements and articulation during oral reading, commonly referred to as the eye–voice span, has been a classic issue of experimental reading research since Buswell (1921). To examine the influence of the span on eye movement control, synchronised recordings of eye position and speech production were obtained during fluent oral reading. The viewing of a word almost always preceded its articulation, and the interval between the onset of a word's fixation and the onset of its articulation was approximately 500 ms. The identification and articulation of a word were closely coupled, and the fixation–speech interval was regulated through immediate adjustments of word viewing duration, unless the interval was relatively long. In this case, the lag between identification and articulation was often reduced through a regression that moved the eyes back in the text. These results indicate that models of eye movement control during oral reading need to include a mechanism that maintains a close linkage between the identification and articulation of words through continuous oculomotor adjustments.     

The Structure and Stability of Subjective Well-Being: a Structure Equation Modelling Analysis

The purpose of the study is to test the structure and the stability of Subjective Well-Being (SWB), measured through cognitive and affective self-report measures, in global and specific levels of analysis. A sample of 303 adult students was collected and replicated in a 2 month interval. The best model of SWB shows an intercorrelated four-factor structure—Satisfaction with Life, Negative Affect, Positive Affect and Global Subjective Well-being. Results suggest that Global Happiness and Global Satisfaction are measuring the same aspect of SWB. All measures of SWB, in study, show good construct validity and reliability in a 2 month replication. Positive and Negative Affect are significantly weakly correlated. Positive Affect is the most stable variable of SWB, in a short-term interval. Researchers must be aware of the issues related to the measurement of SWB as the order of the items in a questionnaire and the implications of using global or specific measures, cognitive or affective dimensions of the concept, that represent different aspects of the concept. Further study is needed to analyse the structure of SWB with different measures and the relationship between its components.