Using the IRAP to Investigate Gender Biases Towards ADHD and Anxiety

The Psychological Record - Teachers’ attitudes towards common disorders such as ADHD and anxiety are important to investigate, given that teachers play a significant role in the lives of...     

Regime-Switching Bivariate Dual Change Score Model

Mixture structural equation model with regime switching (MSEM-RS) provides one possible way of representing over-time heterogeneities in dynamic processes by allowing a system to manifest qualitatively or quantitatively distinct change processes conditional on the latent “regime” the system is in at a particular time point. Unlike standard mixture structural equation models such as growth mixture models, MSEM-RS allows individuals to transition between latent classes over time. This class of models, often referred to as regime-switching models in the time series and econometric applications, can be specified as regime-switching mixture structural equation models when the number of repeated measures involved is not large. We illustrate the empirical utility of such models using one special case—a regime-switching bivariate dual change score model in which two growth processes are allowed to manifest regime-dependent coupling relations with one another. The proposed model is illustrated using a set of longitudinal reading and arithmetic performance data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 study (ECLS-K; U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2010).     

Judging as a non-voluntary action

Many philosophers categorise judgment as a type of action. On the face of it, this claim is at odds with the seeming fact that judging a certain proposition is not something you can do voluntarily. I argue that we can resolve this tension by recognising a category of non-voluntary action. An action can be non-voluntary without being involuntary. The notion of non-voluntary action is developed by appeal to the claim that judging has truth as a constitutive goal. This claim, when combined with a conception of judging as a way of settling a question, explains both why judging is genuinely agential, and why it is nevertheless non-voluntary.     

On the Relation Between the Linear Factor Model and the Latent Profile Model

The relationship between linear factor models and latent profile models is addressed within the context of maximum likelihood estimation based on the joint distribution of the manifest variables. Although the two models are well known to imply equivalent covariance decompositions, in general they do not yield equivalent estimates of the unconditional covariances. In particular, a 2-class latent profile model with Gaussian components underestimates the observed covariances but not the variances, when the data are consistent with a unidimensional Gaussian factor model. In explanation of this phenomenon we provide some results relating the unconditional covariances to the goodness of fit of the latent profile model, and to its excess multivariate kurtosis. The analysis also leads to some useful parameter restrictions related to symmetry.     

Influence of swimming speed on inter-arm coordination in competitive unilateral arm amputee front crawl swimmers

This study examined the effect of swimming speed on inter-arm coordination and the inter-relationships between swimming speed, inter-arm coordination, and other stroke parameters, in a group of competitive unilateral arm amputee front crawl swimmers. Thirteen highly-trained swimmers were filmed underwater during a series of 25-m front crawl trials of increasing speed. Arm coordination for both arms was quantified using an adapted version of the Index of Coordination. Inter-arm coordination of the amputee swimmers did not change as swimming speed was increased up to maximum. Swimmers showed significantly more catch-up coordination of their affected-arm compared to their unaffected-arm. When sprinting, the fastest swimmers used higher stroke frequencies and less catch-up of their affected-arm than the slower swimmers. Unilateral arm-amputees used an asymmetrical strategy for coordinating their affected-arm relative to their unaffected-arm to maintain the stable repetition of their overall arm stroke cycle. When sprinting, the attainment of a high stroke frequency is influenced mainly by the length of time the affected-arm is held in a stationary position in front of the body before pulling. Reducing this time delay appears to be beneficial for successful swimming performance.