Univariate and multivariate skewness and kurtosis for measuring nonnormality: Prevalence,influence and estimation

Nonnormality of univariate data has been extensively examined previously (Blanca et al., Methodology: European Journal of Research Methods for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, 9(2), 78–84, 2013; Miceeri, Psychological Bulletin, 105(1), 156, 1989). However, less is known of the potential nonnormality of multivariate data although multivariate analysis is commonly used in psychological and educational research. Using univariate and multivariate skewness and kurtosis as measures of nonnormality, this study examined 1,567 univariate distriubtions and 254 multivariate distributions collected from authors of articles published in Psychological Science and the American Education Research Journal. We found that 74 % of univariate distributions and 68 % multivariate distributions deviated from normal distributions. In a simulation study using typical values of skewness and kurtosis that we collected, we found that the resulting type I error rates were 17 % in a t-test and 30 % in a factor analysis under some conditions. Hence, we argue that it is time to routinely report skewness and kurtosis along with other summary statistics such as means and variances. To facilitate future report of skewness and kurtosis, we provide a tutorial on how to compute univariate and multivariate skewness and kurtosis by SAS, SPSS, R and a newly developed Web application.     

人格特质对微信用户朋友圈点赞行为动机影响的研究

移动互联网时代,微信的出现颠覆了人们的沟通方式,而点赞作为网络人际之间的互动更是呈现了用户的个人调节与社会认同。本研究采用问卷的方法,对368名微信用户的点赞动机与人格特质的关系进行调查。结果发现:(1)点赞行为有着不同的动机背景,这其中主要是自我认同和社会认同动机在起推动作用。(2)这其中不同动机的人又有着不同的人格特质,具体而言,严谨性与外向性影响自我认同,而宜人性与开放性影响社交认同。     

Seeing the big picture: Broadening attention relieves sadness and depressed mood

We examined whether the broadened attentional scope would affect people's sad or depressed mood with two experiments, enlightened by the meaning of “seeing the big picture” and the broaden‐and‐build model. Experiment 1 (n = 164) is a laboratory‐based experiment, in which we manipulated the attentional scope by showing participants zoomed‐out or zoomed‐in scenes. In Experiment 2 (n = 44), we studied how depressed mood and positive and negative emotions were affected when participants watched distant versus proximal scenes for eight weeks in real life. Healthy participants in Experiment 1, who were induced to feel sad, could return to the baseline mood after having the broadened attention task but not after having the narrowed attention task, which indicated that immediate attention broadening manipulation could function as antidotes for the lingering effects of induced negative emotions. Participants with depressed mood in Experiment 2 showed reduced depressed mood, increased positive affect, and decreased negative affect after receiving attention broadening training compared to those receiving attention narrowing training. Our findings suggest a robust role of broadened attentional scope in relieving negative emotions and even mildly depressed mood in the long run.     

The effect of spatial frequency information and visual similarity in threat detection

In the current research, we sought to examine the role of spatial frequency on the detection of threat using a speeded visual search paradigm. Participants searched for threat-relevant (snakes or spiders) or non-threat-relevant (frogs or cockroaches) targets in an array of neutral (flowers or mushrooms) distracters, and we measured search performance with images filtered to contain different levels (high and low) of spatial frequency information. The results replicate previous work demonstrating more rapid detection of threatening versus non-threatening stimuli [e.g. LoBue, V. & DeLoache, J. S. (2008). Detecting the snake in the grass: Attention to fear-relevant stimuli by adults and young children. Psychological Science, 19, 284–289. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02081.x]. Most importantly, the results suggest that low spatial frequency or relatively coarse levels of visual information is sufficient for the rapid and accurate detection of threatening stimuli. Furthermore, the results also suggest that visual similarity between the stimuli used in the search tasks plays a significant role in speeded detection. The results are discussed in terms of the theoretical implications for the rapid detection of threat and methodological implications for properly accounting for similarity between the stimuli in visual search studies.     

Detection of Threats under Inattentional Blindness and Perceptual Load

Inattentional blindness refers to the failure to detect the salient unexpected stimuli in one’s visual field when performing an attention-demanding task. The present study examined the detection of threats in a static inattentional blindness paradigm. And the detection rates of evolutionary and ontogenetic threats were compared. Participants counted the number of color words from among three (low load) or six (high load) items presented in a circular array. On the last of six trials, an unexpected threatening/neutral illustration was presented in the center of the array along with the task stimuli. Participants detection of the illustration were thus measured and analyzed. The results suggested that: (1) the threatening stimuli, both evolutionary and ontogenetic, were detected more frequently than non-threatening stimuli; (2) the unexpected illustrations were identified more frequently under low-load condition than under high-load condition; (3) even under high-load situation, the threatening illustrations were more frequently identified than neutral ones. Threats are more likely to be detected under inattentional blindness and perceptual load.     

大五人格测验在中国应用的信度概化分析

对过去20年(1994~2013年)间国内有关大五人格测验的研究文献进行信度概化分析。结果表明:(1)检索到的文献中约68.15%存在"信度引入"现象;(2)未加权估计中,A和O的均值最低,N和C的均值最高,国内所得结果均略低于国外(O除外),而后者的变异性略大(E除外);采用α系数效果量方法,在随机效应模型中,N的估计值最高,O和A的估计值最低;(3)回归分析显示,分数均值、量表来源和南北地域差异是N维度信度的预测变量;量表来源、文章专业类型、测验版本和测验记分对E维度信度具有预测作用;样本量、文章专业类型和量表来源是O维度信度的预测变量;量表来源、文章专业类型、项目数和样本类型对A维度信度具有预测作用;量表来源、项目数、文章专业类型和测验记分是C维度信度的预测变量。     

心理分离研究进展*

心理分离指的是个体在非工作时间里从工作中分离出来,个体不仅身体上远离工作场所,精神上也摆脱掉工作的事情,对员工工作压力的恢复过程非常关键。首先,文本概述了心理分离的概念及其进展;其次,论述了心理分离研究现状;最后,阐述了心理分离的已有研究存在的问题和未来研究的方向。     

解析心理冲突的新角度--评介凯根的结构-发展理论

本文介绍了自我发展研究领域中罗伯特凯根提出的结构-发展理论及其特点,简析它与其它自我发展阶段论的异同。探讨了该理论在抚育、学校教育和临床咨询等方面的实践意义。     

从语言到思想:基于指称问题考察分析哲学的范式转移

本文通过追溯当代内容理论的语言哲学和现象学起源,以指称性概念和意向性概念为核心,简要刻画了指称理论和内容理论的发展线索。在此基础上,本文试图借助语言指称问题和心理指称问题的平行关系,为当代分析哲学的主流从语言哲学到心灵哲学的范式转移的动机和方法勾勒出一个考察纲要。     

人类胚胎干细胞研究伦理问题的调查和讨论

此次对各级医生进行关于人类胚胎干细胞研究伦理认知的调查研究,其目的是为制订相关的伦理准则提供认知依据,调查是在我国东西部二个城市的8家三级医院进行,采用随机抽样、自愿无记名填写信息表方法调查.调查结果表明,50%以上医生认为早期胚胎不是道德意义的人,70%以上医生对胚胎干细胞的研究表示支持.海峡两岸的医生由于有相同的文化根源,在对待胚胎干细胞研究的伦理观点及态度上极其接近.