Development and psychometric evaluation of a quantitative measure of “fat talk”

Based on her anthropological research, Nichter (2000) concluded that it is normative for many American girls to engage in body self-disparagement in the form of “fat talk.” The purpose of the present two studies was to develop a quantitative measure of fat talk. A series of 17 scenarios were created in which “Naomi” is talking with a female friend(s) and there is an expression of fat talk. College women respondents rated the frequency with which they would behave in a similar way as the women in each scenario. A nine-item one-factor scale was determined through principal components analysis and its scores yielded evidence of internal consistency reliability, test–retest reliability over a five-week time period, construct validity, discriminant validity, and incremental validity in that it predicted unique variance in body shame and eating disorder symptoms above and beyond other measures of self-objectification.     

What is the best model for girls and boys faced with a standardized mathematics evaluation situation: a hardworking role model or a gifted role model?

Same-gender role models are likely to improve girls' math performance. This field experiment examined whether the explanation given for a role model's success also influence children's math performance. Fifth graders were presented with a female or a male role model before a difficult math test and were informed about the cause of his/her math success (effort vs. ability vs. no explanation). The results showed that the gender of a hardworking role model did not influence math performance. In contrast, when the role model's success was not explained or explained by abilities, children performed better with the female role model than with the male role model. The hardworking role model and the female role model allowed reducing stereotype threat among girls.     

Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS): Psychometric Properties with a Sample of Polish Adolescents

Applied Research in Quality of Life - The Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS) is one of the most frequently used measures of children’s and adolescents’ overall satisfaction...     

The establishment of auditory–visual equivalence classes with a go/no-go successive matching-to-sample procedure

The current study evaluated the effectiveness of a go/no-go successive matching-to-sample procedure (S-MTS) to establish auditory–visual equivalence classes with college students. A sample and a comparison were presented, one at a time, in the same location. During training, after an auditory stimulus was presented, a green box appeared in the center of the screen for participants to touch to produce the comparison. Touching the visual comparison that was related to the auditory sample (e.g., A1B1) produced points, while touching or refraining from touching an unrelated comparison (e.g., A1B2) produced no consequences. Following AB/AC training, participants were tested on untrained relations (i.e., BA/CA and BC/CB), as well as tacting and sorting. During BA/CA relations tests, after touching the visual sample, the auditory stimulus was presented along with a white box for participants to respond. During BC/CB relations tests, after touching the visual sample, a visual comparison appeared. Across 2 experiments, all participants met emergence criterion for untrained relations and for sorting. Additionally, 14 out of 24 participants tacted all visual stimuli correctly. Results suggest the auditory–visual S-MTS procedure is an effective alternative to simultaneous MTS for establishing conditional relations and auditory-visual equivalence classes.     

Examination of the Psychometric Properties of a Brief PTSD Measure on a French–Canadian Undergraduate Population

This study examines the psychometric properties of the French-Canadian Modified PTSD Symptom Scale (MPSS-FC) in a sample of French-Canadian undergraduates. Findings uncovered a 3-dimensional model for the Frequency and Severity scales, which shared factorial invariance. In addition, the MPSS-FC scales had adequate internal consistency and a satisfactory 5-week test-retest reliability. In view of its satisfactory psychometric properties, the MPSS-FC seems promising as a brief screening measure of PTSD. Indeed, the MPSS-FC as a stand-alone measure could be used with a population known to have been exposed to a traumatic event.     

A review of employee evaluation procedures and a description of “high potential” executives and professionals

This article reviews standard personnel selection procedures with a focus on the personal interview, the assessment center, and standard psychological tests. A testing system is described that has been used by companies to select executives and professionals. Finally, psychological characteristics of “high potential” executives and professionals are described.     

The efficacy of “right” as a function of its relationship with reinforcement

The effects of the relationship between the presentation of a verbal stimulus (“right”) and an established reinforcer (M&Ms) on the reinforcement efficacy of the verbal stimulus was tested with three groups of retarded boys. Blocks of training and test trials alternated. During training of the Discriminative Group, “right” reliably preceded candy. For the Contiguous Group, “right” accompanied candy, and for the Random Group “right” and candy were programmed independently. “Right” promoted learning in the Discriminative Group but did not in the latter two groups. The results support Cairns' analysis of the often found failure of approval to be an effective reinforcer in laboratory tasks.     

The inconsistency of Physics (with a capital “P”)

This paper discusses a conception of physics as a collection of theories that, from a logical point of view, is inconsistent. It is argued that this logical conception of the relations between physical theories is too crude. Mathematical subtleties allow for a much more nuanced and sophisticated understanding of the relations between different physical theories.     

Can a modified lineup procedure improve the usefulness of confidence?

In a face recognition, mini-lineup experiment we examined two aspects of the use of confidence about lineups. We modified the lineup procedure attempting to eliminate the difference in confidence–accuracy relationship between positive (old or identification) and negative (new or not present) decisions. In the modified procedure, participants: (1) selected the lineup member that best matched their memory of the target; (2) rated their confidence that the best match was indeed the target; and (3) indicated (yes/no) whether the best match was the target. Although the modified procedure produced higher accuracy than a standard simultaneous procedure, there was no evidence that it affected the confidence–accuracy relationship. Additionally, the modified procedure also allowed us to compare the extent to which confidence ratings versus binary recognition decisions better discriminated studied from unstudied faces. The results revealed a clear advantage for confidence, but indicated that binary responses were also a unique predictor.     

Psychometric properties of the “Spanish Burnout Inventory” (SBI): Adaptation and validation in a Portuguese-speaking sample

IntroductionTeaching and nursing are two of the most stressful occupations. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) has some limitations that require using it with caution out of the American and Anglo-Saxon context. To address the problems associated with the MBI was developed the Spanish Burnout Inventory (SBI).ObjectiveThis study was designed to assess the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the SBI.MethodThe sample consisted of 211 teachers and 133 nurses from Portugal. The psychometric properties were examined through the following analyses: confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), reliability (Cronbach's alpha), and concurrent validity with the MBI.ResultsThe four-factor model obtained an adequate data fit for the sample. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was adequate for the four scales of the instrument. Results supported the concurrent validity.ConclusionAs a whole, results show that the four-factor model of the SBI possesses adequate psychometric properties for the study of burnout in the Portuguese cultural context.     

Training and Generalization of a ”Yes-No” Discrimination with a Developmentally Delayed Child

By watching and responding to the way a shill answered “yes-no” questions about food items, a developmentally delayed preschool boy not only greatly improved over his poor baseline “yes-no” answers to these same items, but also to “yes-no” answers during generalization probe sessions to untrained objects that included picture cards and body parts. Correct “yes-no” answers during follow-up sessions was also high for both the trained and untrained objects. The suggested mechanism for improvement was the elaborated from of answers the shill issues, which served to highlight and prompt “yes” versus “no” answers. Generalized “yes-no” answers improved as the training components (removing the shill and prior labeling questions) approximated the form of the generalized probe sessions. Experiment II confirmed that as soon as the labels for new objects were taught, “yes-no” answers to all labeled objects was immediately perfect and remained so thereafter. To nonlabled objects, “yes-no” answers were initially at chance level, but these answers for certain nonlabeled objects subsequently improved and their names were learned without explicit training, apparently through prior correct “yes-no” responding.     

“Psychometric properties and factor structure of the attitudes to fertility and childbearing scale (AFCS) in a sample of polish women”

Current Psychology - The study aimed to determine the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Attitudes to Fertility and Childbearing Scale (AFCS) in a Polish context. A cross-sectional...