The relation of primary mental abilities to activity preferences

The relations of abilities, as measured by Thurstone'sTests for Primary Mental Abilities, to activity preferences, as measured by Kuder'sPreference Record, are investigated for a population of 512 university freshmen. Ability profiles for contrasted groups on each preference scale reveal relatively slight overlapping between the two sets of measures, although the apparent trends are reasonable. The Pearson inter-correlation coefficients of all pairs of measures involved were determined. Implications of the findings in relation to theory and to educational and vocational guidance are indicated.     

Consumer response to tobacco smoke in service settings

• Establishing smoking policies which accommodate customers' smoking preferences is a major problem for restaurants, bars, hotels, and other firms in the service industry. This study is based on the premise that tobacco smoke can be considered a component of both the physical and ambient retail service environment. Because of legal and ethical concerns, the presence or absence of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in two types of eating facilities (bar and fine dining restaurant) was operationalized by the presentation to respondents of photographs which pictured customers in a setting where smoking was either present or absent. The success of this method of manipulation of the treatment variable was assessed with a thought listing procedure. Thought listing responses indicate that both treatments (type of facility and smoking policy) were adequately conveyed by the photographs. Results indicate that cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses were all negatively affected by the presence of tobacco smoke. The conclusion is that managers who permit smoking in their facilities risk losing non‐smoking patrons while smokers are little affected by either the presence or absence of smoke.
• The major contributions of this study include both the exploration of tobacco smoke as part of the retail service environment for eating establishments and the use of thought listings as a manipulation check for variables which were manipulated through use of photographs depicting the treatment conditions.

Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Causal Induction in the Presence of a Perfect Negative Cue: Contrasting Predictions from Associative and Statistical Models

Two experiments on human causal induction with multiple candidate causes are reported. Experiment 1 investigated the influence of a perfect preventive cause on the ratings of a less contingent cause. Whereas the Rescorla-Wagner model (RWM) and Cheng's probabilistic contrast model predict that the less contingent cause should be completely discounted, the Pearce model predicts, in most cases, an enhancement of that cause's perceived importance. Results corresponded more closely tothe predictions of the Pearce model.The predictions of both the RWM and the Pearce model rely on a constant context cue acquiring associative strength, yet no such cue was explicitly identified in the task scenario employed in Experiment 1. Experiment 2 replicated a number of key conditions of Experiment 1 with a task scenario that afforded ratings of the causal importance of the context in which the effectiveness of the discrete candidate causes was evaluated. In addition, the number of trials was increased to test the possibility that the ratings in Experiment 1 were the product of incomplete learning. The results of the first experiment were replicated and the ratings of the effectiveness of the context cue were anticipated by both the RWM and the Pearce model. Overall, the Pearce model offers a more comprehensive account of the causal inferences recorded in this study.     

Unbiased estimators of ability parameters,of their variance,and of their parallel-forms reliability

Given known item parameters, unbiased estimators are derived i) for an examinee's ability parameter and for his proportion-correct true score, ii) for the variances of and across examinees in the group tested, and iii) for the parallel-forms reliability of the maximum likelihood estimator .This work was supported in part by contract N00014-80-C-0402, project designation NR 150-453 between the Office of Naval Research and Educational Testing Service. Reproduction in whole or in part is permitted for any purpose of the United States Government.     

Statistical bias in maximum likelihood estimators of item parameters

Asymptotic formulas are derived for the bias in the maximum likelihood estimators of the item parameters in the logistic item response model when examinee abilities are known. Numerical results are given for a typical verbal test for college admission.     

Maximum likelihood estimation of item response parameters when some responses are omitted

A theoretical model is given for dealing with omitted responses. Two special cases are investigated.This work was supported in part by contract N00014-80-C-0402, project designation NR 150-453 between the Office of Naval Research and Educational Testing Service. Reproduction in whole or in part is permitted for any purpose of the United States Government.     

A study of speed factors in tests and academic grades

Speeded and unspeeded tests of vocabulary, spatial relations, and arithmetic reasoning were factorially analyzed, together with certain reference tests and academic grades. Lawley's maximum likelihood method was used, the computations being carried out on the Whirlwind electronic computer. Four different speed factors were isolated, together with a second-order general speed factor. Consistent small positive correlations between the academic grades and the speed factors were found.The writer is indebted to Dr. John French, to Dr. David Saunders, and especially to Dr. Ledyard R Tucker for helpful suggestions and theoretical advice throughout the course of this study. The active cooperation of Dr. William Shields, Educational Advisor, and of many others at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis has been invaluable. The author is very grateful to Dr. P. Youtz and Dr. C. W. Adams for the opportunity to use Whirlwind I, a high-speed computer sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, and to Dr. H. Denman for help is programming and in putting the program on the computer. He also wishes to express his deep appreciation to Dr. Hubert Brogden and Miss Bertha Harper of The Adjutant General's Office for the opportunity to use their matrix rotator and for helpful guidance in its operation.     

Statistical inferences about true scores

Formulas are derived for unbiased sample estimators of any raw or central moment of the frequency distribution of true scores. A general method is developed for obtaining from each examinee's observed score a least squares estimate of his true score.This research was carried out under contract Nonr-2214(00) with the Office of Naval Research, Department of the Navy.     

Randomly parallel tests and Lyerly's basic assumption for the Kuder-Richardson formula (21)

The K-R (21) formula can be derived without recourse to the undesirable assumption that the test items are all indistinguishable.     

Notes on a problem of multiple classification

A solution is developed in implicit form for the problem of assigningN men ton jobs, the proportion of men to be assigned to each job being specified in advance.The author wishes to thank Dr. Hubert Brogden and Dr. Paul Horst for their helpful discussion and criticism.