THREE-ALTERNATIVE MULTIPLE CHOICE TESTS: AN ATTRACTIVE OPTION

Traditionally, multiple choice tests have included four or five alternatives. Data from public sector employment tests are presented that indicate that tests composed of multiple choice items containing three alternatives have psychometric properties similar to those offered by tests composed of items containing five alternatives. Given the similarity of the psychometric properties and the likely reductions in cost of development and administration time, three-alternative multiple choice items may be preferable to five-alternative multiple choice items for some testing purposes.     

Institutional Affiliations of Contributors to the Personnel and Guidance Journal: Volumes 47–62

The institutional affiliations of contributors to the Personnel and Guidance Journal were examined for a 16-volume period (Vols. 47–62). Authors from colleges and universities represented the major source of contributions (80%). Colleges and universities were then ranked according to the number of articles submitted in each of the two 8-volume periods studied. The top 25 institutions for the entire 16-volume period were identified and ranked according to their contributions to the Journal. Results were compared to a previous study of Journal contributors to highlight trends across a 32-volume period.     

OBTAINING VALID PREDICTORS BY MINIMIZING RATING ERRORS IN THE CRITERION1

The correlations between each of five predictors and supervisory ratings of job effectiveness were not significantly different from zero. On the basis of the job analysis that preceded the validation study, the author concluded that the low correlations between each of the five predictors and the criterion were not due to problems inherent in either the tests or the performance appraisal instrument. Rather, it was hypothesized that the low correlations were a result of rating errors made by supervisors. The results of an eight hour training program (Latham, Wexley, and Pursell, 1975) designed to minimize rating errors supported this hypothesis. Four of the five predictors correlated significantly with the performance ratings that were conducted after the supervisors had received the training.     

A comparison of the category fluency deficits associated with Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease

The supermarket verbal fluency test of the Dementia Rating Scale (DRS) was administered to 20 patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (Mi-DAT), 20 patients with moderately severe Alzheimer's disease (Mo-DAT), 20 patients with Huntington's disease (HD), and 40 normal control subjects. The findings confirmed previous reports that Mo-DAT patients retrieved fewer words per category of supermarket items sampled and had a greater propensity to generate category labels (superordinates) than did intact controls. Similar disruptions of the structure of semantic knowledge were also noted in the fluency performances of the Mi-DAT and HD patients. The Mi-DAT patients' tendency to generate few exemplars for each category sampled suggested that a significant disruption in the structure of semantic knowledge occurred even in the earliest stages of DAT. When the present fluency findings for the HD patients were considered with previous reports of linguistic changes in this disorder, it appeared that HD patients' deterioration in semantic knowledge involved associative changes rather than the bottom-up breakdown associated with DAT.     

Content Analysis of the Journal of Counseling and Development: Volumes 48–66

A content analysis of the Journal of Counseling and Development was conducted for a 19-year period (Vols. 48–66). Articles were cross-classified under content headings and then grouped by the four editorship periods during this time (e.g., Goldman, 1969–1975; Sue, 1975–1978; Barclay, 1978–1984; Goodyear, 1984–1988). Results were compared to earlier studies to illustrate changes and trends in both the counseling professions and the Journal.     

Self-Assessed Risk of HIV and Other STIs Among Young Adults in Norway and Croatia

The purpose of the present study is to explore how sexually active young Norwegian and Croatian adults assess the risk of being infected with HIV and other STIs. Study results are based on a 2009–2010 large-scale national probability survey of young adults aged 18–24 in Croatia (n = 1,005) and Norway (n = 871). A majority of sexually active young adults in Croatia and Norway assessed the risk of becoming infected with HIV or other STIs as low or negligible. Among non-condom users, 85–98% determined they had low or no risk of getting infected with HIV. The corresponding figures for STIs were 77–79%. In both countries a higher HIV risk self-assessment was observed among those who had had same-sex sexual experience, those who reported a higher number of sex partners during the past year, and those who were single. When investigating the patterns of HIV/STI risk assessment, gender and country-related differences appeared. Condom use associated with higher risk assessment was significant only among Croatian men. The strong perception of condom use as being a male responsibility in Croatia may be the reason for a higher risk assessment for unwanted pregnancy and HIV/STIs when protection fails. The risk assessment for HIV/STIs was not associated with partner turnover in Croatian men. New campaigns need to develop gender-sensitive messages, particularly targeting men who believe that a great number of sexual partners is a sign of manliness and women who shy away from their responsibility to use protection.     

Curiosity was Framed*

This paper explores the nature of curiosity from an epistemological point of view. First it motivates this exploration by explaining why epistemologists do and should care about what curiosity is. Then it surveys the relevant literature and develops a particular approach.     

Examining the relationship between use of sexually explicit media and sexual risk behavior in a sample of men who have sex with men in Norway

The purpose of this study was to investigate consumption patterns of gay‐oriented sexually explicit media (SEM) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Norway, with a particular emphasis on a possible relationship between gay SEM consumption and HIV risk behavior. Participants included 529 MSM living in Norway recruited online to complete a SEM consumption and sexual risk survey. Of the 507 participants who responded to the all items measuring exposure to SEM, 19% reported unprotected anal intercourse with a casual partner (UAI) in last 90 days, and 14% reported having had sero‐discordant UAI. Among those with UAI experience, 23% reported receptive anal intercourse (R‐UAI) and 37% reported insertive anal intercourse (I‐UAI). SEM consumption was found to be significantly associated with sexual risk behaviors. Participants with increased consumption of bareback SEM reported higher odds of UAI and I‐UAI after adjusting for other factors using multivariable statistics. MSM who started using SEM at a later age reported lower odds of UAI and I‐UAI than MSM who started earlier. Future research should aim at understanding how MSM develop and maintain SEM preferences and the relationship between developmental and maintenance factors and HIV sexual risk behavior.     

世俗人文主义概述（二）

是否存在能够支撑不信教者的道德价值和道德原则呢？抛弃了宗教信仰。人类生命有何含义？其意义何在？世俗人文主义以科学的、哲学的和伦理的视角,用能与人类的生命激情和科学发现相共鸣的方式来回答这些问题。世俗人文主义强调运用理性思维和批评性思考解决人类遇到的问题。对人类运用科学和技术手段为本身谋福充满信心,它质疑超自然、神秘的、超现实现象的存在。在人类民主进程和为全球人类谋福方面．它从不妥协。为了人类自由和最高实现人类自身价值,它提出了一个新的范例来指导人类文明进程。     

世俗人文主义概述（一）

是否存在能够支撑不信教者的道德价值和道德原贝4呢？抛弃了宗教信仰。人类生命有何含义？其意义何在？世俗人文主义以科学的、哲学的和伦理的视角,用能与人类的生命激情和科学发现相共鸣的方式来回答这些问题。世俗人文主义强调运用理性思维和批评性思考解决人类遇到的问题。对人类运用科学和技术手段为本身谋福充满信心,它质疑超自然、神秘的、超现实现象的存在。在人类民主进程和为全球人类谋福方面,它从不妥协。为了人类自由和最高实现人类自身价值,它提出了一个新的范例来指导人类文明进程。