Alternative Multiple Imputation Inference for Categorical Structural Equation Modeling

The use of item responses from questionnaire data is ubiquitous in social science research. One side effect of using such data is that researchers must often account for item level missingness. Multiple imputation is one of the most widely used missing data handling techniques. The traditional multiple imputation approach in structural equation modeling has a number of limitations. Motivated by Lee and Cai’s approach, we propose an alternative method for conducting statistical inference from multiple imputation in categorical structural equation modeling. We examine the performance of our proposed method via a simulation study and illustrate it with one empirical data set.     

生育年龄限制感提高女性的计划生育数量

近几年我国已陷入低生育率国家的行列, 提高育龄女性的生育意愿迫在眉睫。本研究结合心理阻抗以及毕生控制理论, 探索女性对于生育的年龄限制的知觉对于其生育意愿和计划生育数量的影响。研究1为问卷研究, 结果显示, 女性距离自己认为的理想生育年龄越接近时, 生育意愿越强烈。研究2和研究3为实验法研究, 分别启动未婚女性(研究2)和已婚女性(研究3)对于女性生育年龄的限制感。结果表明, 生育年龄的时间限制可以提升未婚女性对儿童的内隐态度和已婚女性的计划生育数量。研究2还发现, 这种提升效果对于前测生育意愿高的女性影响更大, 且将最佳生育年龄设定为26岁的提升效果优于设定为32岁。本研究的结果表明, 生育限制感可以提高女性的生育意愿。创设女性对适宜生育的年龄有限制感的环境, 将有助于提升育龄女性的生育意愿。不建议以进一步放开人口生育指标(如全面放开生育数量的限制)作为提高生育率的手段, 这反而可能导致育龄女性的生育意愿进一步下滑。     

Sleep does not enhance motor sequence learning

Improvements in motor sequence performance have been observed after a delay involving sleep. This finding has been taken as evidence for an active sleep consolidation process that enhances subsequent performance. In a review of this literature, however, the authors observed 4 aspects of data analyses and experimental design that could lead to improved performance on the test in the absence of any sleep consolidation: (a) masking of learning effects in the averaged data, (b) masking of reactive inhibition effects in the averaged training data, (c) time-of-day and time-since-sleep confounds, and (d) a gradual buildup of fatigue over the course of massed (i.e., concentrated) training. In 2 experiments the authors show that when these factors are controlled for, or when their effects are substantially reduced, the sleep enhancement effect is eliminated. Whereas sleep may play a role in protection from forgetting of motor skills, it does not result in performance enhancement.     

我国中等职业学校青少年学生情感素质的现状

本研究采用自编的《青少年情感素质调查问卷》对全国3类地区9大城市1767名中等职业学校青少年学生进行了问卷调查。结果表明：我国中职生情感素质总体处于积极正向、亟待提高的状况;女生的情感素质稍优于男生,但存在结构性差异;情感素质与中职生学业自评呈正相关;居住情况和父母学历对中职生情感素质影响不大;与同龄高中生在情感总体上没有显著差异,仅理智情感发展低于高中生,并主要表现在自信感和好奇心方面;师生关系良好、教师有情施教对中职生各方面情感素质发展具有极为重要的促进作用,应引起教育部门的高度关注。     

The Effect of Conflict Goals on Avoidance Strategies: What Does Not Communicating Communicate?

Avoidance is proposed to be a goal‐directed behavior rather than a behavior that reflects passivity or inaction. To evaluate this proposition, a typology of conflict goals and a typology of conflict avoidance strategies are created, and the relationship between nonavoidance strategies and the elements of these 2 typologies are evaluated within a structural equation model (N = 352). Findings show that, except for pretending and withdrawal, conflict goals successfully predict avoidance strategies, thereby affirming their strategic importance. The article concludes by addressing areas for future research, including modifications and refinement of the typologies and proposing other strategies and goals that may be theoretically significant.     

“语义P600”的实质及其影响机制

总结并分析了影响语义 P600 效应产生与否的五个主要因素及其作用机制：关键词和论元之间的语义关联性;语义-主题关系的潜在可修正性;有生性违例;语境;实验任务。在此基础上,概述了由语义 P600 效应发展而来、或验证了的两个主要理论观点,即“两种并行神经加工流”的观点和扩展论元依附模型。最后还对语义 P600 效应今后的研究方向提出了看法：各种影响因素间的综合性研究;跨语言研究;工作记忆的影响;表面相似 ERP 成分之间的区别研究。     

A Two-Tier Full-Information Item Factor Analysis Model with Applications

Motivated by Gibbons et al.’s (Appl. Psychol. Meas. 31:4–19, 2007) full-information maximum marginal likelihood item bifactor analysis for polytomous data, and Rijmen, Vansteelandt, and De Boeck’s (Psychometrika 73:167–182, 2008) work on constructing computationally efficient estimation algorithms for latent variable models, a two-tier item factor analysis model is developed in this research. The modeling framework subsumes standard multidimensional IRT models, bifactor IRT models, and testlet response theory models as special cases. Features of the model lead to a reduction in the dimensionality of the latent variable space, and consequently significant computational savings. An EM algorithm for full-information maximum marginal likelihood estimation is developed. Simulations and real data demonstrations confirm the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed methods. Three real data sets from a large-scale educational assessment, a longitudinal public health survey, and a scale development study measuring patient reported quality of life outcomes are analyzed as illustrations of the model’s broad range of applicability.     

The Trajectory of Counseling in China: Past,Present, and Future Trends

This article surveys the past, present, and future trends of counseling in China. Historically, mental health problems were addressed within the family. Currently, psychotherapy from trained practitioners is available on a limited basis, at least in urban settings. The challenge of mental health in China is tremendous, and the efforts to meet that challenge are encouraging. The authors recommend that in the future, prevention and intervention services be offered that are ecosystemic, strengths‐based, and culturally appropriate.     

Role of Surface Roughness in Hysteresis during Adhesive Elastic Contact

In experiments that involve contact with adhesion between two surfaces, as found in atomic force microscopy or nanoindentation, two distinct contact force (P) vs. indentation-depth (h) curves are often measured depending on whether the indenter moves towards or away from the sample. The origin of this hysteresis is not well understood and is often attributed to moisture, plasticity or viscoelasticity. Here we report experiments that show that hysteresis can exist in the absence of these effects, and that its magnitude depends on surface roughness. We develop a theoretical model in which the hysteresis appears as the result of a series of surface instabilities, in which the contact area grows or recedes by a finite amount. The model can be used to estimate material properties from contact experiments even when the measured P-h curves are not unique.