A comparison of subset selection and analysis of covariance for the adjustment of confounders

Two common methods for adjusting group comparisons for differences in the distribution of confounders, namely analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and subset selection, are compared using real examples from neuropsychology, theory, and simulations. ANCOVA has potential pitfalls, but the blanket rejection of the method in some areas of empirical psychology is not justified. Assumptions of the methods are reviewed, with issues of selection bias, nonlinearity, and interaction emphasized. Advantages of ANCOVA include better power, improved ability to detect and estimate interactions, and the availability of extensions to deal with measurement error in the covariates. Forms of ANCOVA are advocated that relax the standard assumption of linearity between the outcome and covariates. Specifically, a version of ANCOVA that models the relationship between the covariate and the outcome through cubic spline with fixed knots outperforms other methods in simulations.     

Fear expression and return of fear following threat instruction with or without direct contingency experience

Prior research showed that mere instructions about the contingency between a conditioned stimulus (CS) and an unconditioned stimulus (US) can generate fear reactions to the CS. Little is known, however, about the extent to which actual CS–US contingency experience adds anything beyond the effect of contingency instructions. Our results extend previous studies on this topic in that it included fear potentiated startle as an additional dependent variable and examined return of fear (ROF) following reinstatement. We observed that CS–US pairings can enhance fear reactions beyond the effect of contingency instructions. Moreover, for all measures of fear, instructions elicited immediate fear reactions that could not be completely overridden by subsequent situational safety information. Finally, ROF following reinstatement for instructed CS+s was unaffected by actual experience. In summary, our results demonstrate the power of contingency instructions and reveal the additional impact of actual experience of CS–US pairings.     

让智慧插上创造的翅膀：创造动力系统的激活及其条件

创造力是一个集个人、团体、社会、文化相互交织的系统, 因此创造力的培养也需要综合考虑。本文在融合以往创造力研究的基础上, 建构了一套系统创造力培养的“蝴蝶理论”, 创造力培养需要抓住核心来统领全局, 同时兼顾创造力培养所需要统筹兼顾的各个部分。动力系统的激活是创造力培养的核心。新颖、适用的创造性成果的产出, 需要社会文化中的个体或团体在创造性心理动力的基础上来完成。创造性心理动力有效的激活则需要一些基本条件, 如在认知层面, 需要具备一定的能力, 如一般认知能力、思维方法的掌握、元认知以及高效的资源整合能力等; 在非智力因素方面, 基本心理需要的满足, 个性心理的健康发展等是创造力得以发挥的必要条件, 推而广之还包括：合理的社会支持、互动以及文化的包容等等。除了理论方面的整合, 本文还从实践的角度分析如何激活学生的动力系统, 重点分析了什么是兴趣以及如何激发个体的兴趣, 因为以兴趣爱好为核心的内部动机是自主性最高的动力来源。本文从理论(创造力培养的蝴蝶理论)与实践(创造力培养的兴趣激发)两个角度为创造力培养提供了支持。     

Exploring Gender Wage Disparity in MFT Academic Programs

This study tested whether there was a significant salary difference between women and men working as faculty in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) programs within public universities. Additionally, we evaluated whether there were significant differences in academic attributes and how these academic attributes related to gender differences in salary. Results from our Oaxaca decomposition of salary differentials showed academic attributes like the number of peer-reviewed publications and years in academia could be used to explain the $9000 gap found between women and men in our sample of MFT academics. Our results indicated no evidence of salary discrimination against women working as MFT faculty members but showed that women were shown to have significantly less time in academia and to publish significantly fewer peer-reviewed journal articles than men. Implications of the current study findings include developing effective mechanisms for helping women persist in and advance through pathways of MFT academic promotion as well as for helping increase their scholarly productivity.     

Does contingency awareness mediate the influence of emotional learning on the cueing of visual attention?

Previous research has indicated that conditioning depends on contingency awareness (CA). However, we argue that these studies have examined this issue under methodological conditions that might be insensitive to associative learning without CA. In the present study we examined the effect of an experimental manipulation of CA on attentive processing of classically conditioned stimuli, which is sensitive to associative learning with and without CA. We found that aversive conditioning with additional contingency instructions modulated visual attention, in the sense that the conditioned cues captured and held attention more strongly than the non-conditioned cues. Surprisingly, conditioning under conditions of restricted CA yielded a response pattern that was different from that under full CA. These findings suggest that conditioning with full and restricted CA can lead to qualitatively different effects on attention.     

Investigating the myth of the relationship between teaching and research in higher education: A review of empirical research

Despite the widespread belief in a positive influence of research on education, the empirical evidence is lacking (Hattie and Marsh 1996). Several authors have questioned the appropriateness of the operationalisation of both aspects of the relation between teaching and research. This article takes a closer look at the research questions in empirical studies on the nexus between teaching and research and examines the used variables and their measurement techniques. The study reveals that the used variables and their operationalisation are diverse as well as limited. There is for example a diversity in the investigated population, the level of analysis (individual faculty, department, institutions), the nature of the institutions investigated or the questionnaires used. The operationalisation of both teaching and research is limited. Student learning or the way research is integrated into teaching are virtually absent and the measurement of research is mostly confined to the quantity of the research output. This calls for a more systematic research agenda in which student learning is investigated along with more fine grained measures of teaching and in which the relation of these two indicators and the research proficiency of faculty are looked at.     

比较应用题的问题表征策略研究

采用2×2×4三因素混合实验设计,对不同年级学生解比较应用题过程中的各种指标进行分析,结果表明:学生解比较应用题时的问题表征策略存在显著的年级差异;数学成绩优生、差生存在不同的问题表征策略;题目呈现方式对学生的问题表征策略有显著影响。     

大学生的国家科技成就刻板印象

利用信号检测论的方法对130名大学生的国家科技成就刻板印象进行研究。结果发现,被试对中国近现代及当代科技成就判断标准的自然对数值显著高于对中国古代、美国近现代及当代科技成就判断标准的自然对数值(p<0.001),同时,被试对中国古代、美国近现代及当代科技成就的判断标准自然对数值没有显著差异(p>0.05),从而证明了大学生群体中明显存在着国家科技成就刻板印象。进一步的含义表明,大学生对中国古代科技成就依然保持绝对的自信,对中国近现代及当代科技成就的自卑并没有显著改变。在被试对2005年中国科技竞争力在全球的排名进行估计时,高估的人数显著多于低估的人数(p<0.001),从而表明,大学生对中国当前及未来科技成就的自信心开始建立。     

青少年元认知、大五人格与学习适应行为的关系

研究试图探讨青少年学习适应行为的认知机制以及大五人格特质在其中所起的作用.采用青少年社会适应行为量表、大五人格简式量表及元认知问卷对广州市985名中学生进行测试.结果表明:(1)学校、年级因素在元认知总分、学习适应行为上均存在显著差异;(2)学习适应行为与元认知、大五人格各维度均存在显著相关;(3)大五人格各特质在元认知与学习适应行为的关系间起到中介作用.