Determination of the number of independent parameters of a score matrix from the examination of rank orders

Two ordinal consequences are drawn from the linear multiple-factor analysis model. First, the numberR(s, d) of distinct ways in whichs subjects can be ranked by linear functions ofd factors is limited by the recursive expressionR(s, d)=R(s?1,d)+(s?1)R(s?1,d?1). Second, every setS ofd+2 subjects can be separated into two subsetsS* andS ? S* such that no linear function ofd variables can rank allS* over allS ? S*, and vice versa. When these results are applied to the hypothetical data of Thurstone's “box problem,” three independent parameters are found. Relations to Thurstone's suggestion for a non-correlational factor analysis are discussed.     

Machine short-cuts in the computation of chisquare and the contingency coefficient

Rapid computational routines are presented for calculatingx ² from frequency data in the following cases: (1) test of goodness of fit between an observed and a theoretical distribution; (2) test of independence of distributions displayed in anr ×c table; (3) test of independence of distributions displayed in anr × 2 table. A rapid method of computing the contingency coefficient also follows from the procedure used in the second of these cases.     

Person-specific paths of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease and their relation to age

Change in global and specific measures of cognitive function was studied in a cohort of 410 persons with Alzheimer's disease. Persons completed up to 5 annual evaluations; follow-up participation among survivors exceeded 90%. Average annual decline was 0.57 standard score units (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.51 to -0.62) on a composite measure based on 17 individual tests and 3.26 points (95% CI: -3.06 to 3.46) on the Mini-Mental State Examination, but substantial heterogeneity was apparent. On both global and specific measures, rate of cognitive decline was reduced in older persons compared with younger persons. A similar effect was observed for estimated age of disease onset. The effect of age was approximately linear and was not attributable to education, sex, race, other conditions that impair cognition, or mortality. The results indicate that person-specific paths of cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease vary substantially and suggest that in clinical settings some of this variability is related to age.     

Another Side to Downsizing: Survivors' Behavior and Self-Affirmation

Downsizing is one of the terms used to describe the efforts of companies to gain a competitive edge. The effects of global competition, mergers, market saturation, and automation are forcing the streamlining of the American workforce. This study addresses the gap in empirical data on the effects of self-affirmation opportunities to employee survivors and victims. Specifically, the conceptual model developed in this research examines the interactive effects of self-affirmation and the perception of procedural justice, distributive justice, and job insecurity on the induced psychological states of the individuals involved with companies engaged in downsizing. The conceptual model suggests that layoffs have an impact on the induced psychological states of the individuals affected. At play in the model is the moderating variable of re-affirmation. This, in turn, will affect the attitudes and work behaviors of those same individuals and their ability to maintain their self-image. Specific recommendations to management, based on these findings, conclude the study.     

The complex challenges of ethical choices by engineers in public service

This paper proposes that engineers in public service are confronted with unavoidable complexity in their ethical considerations. The complexity begins with interactions among venues of ethical choices. Engineers must make ethical choices simultaneously at the individual, professional, organizational and societal levels. These ethical domains often conflict. The complexity also stems from situations in which physical properties may remain stable, but important social, economic, institutional and political conditions can change substantially. The paper proposes that the reflective learning approach of pragmatism can help with these challenging situations. This approach depends upon employing Dewey’s five stage process of inquiry to engage the ethical complexity inherent in the practice of engineering in the public service. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2005 conference, Ethics and Social Responsibility in Engineering and Technology, Linking Workplace Ethics and Education, co-hosted by Gonzaga University and Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 9–10 June 2005.     

Robert K. Merton (4 July 1910 - 23 February 2003)

Robert K. Merton, one of the greatest sociologists of our time, and the doyen of the sociology of science, died in Manhattan on 23 February 2003, at the age of ninety-two. He was an exemplary discipline-builder who formulated key concepts with which to perceive and solve sociological problems, a masterful teacher, and a kind colleague. His passing left a large void in the intellectual world of social science.     

Same-sex couple perceptions of family support: a consensual qualitative study

Few studies have examined the family context in which same-sex couples negotiate their lives and relationships. Consensual qualitative research methods (Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997) were used to analyze 14 same-sex couples' conversations about family support. Couples perceived that their families are positively supportive, non-supportive, or ambivalent in their support. These perceptions led to positive or negative emotional reactions in the couple members and to specific coping. The majority of couples perceived that family support (or lack of support) had an effect on the quality of their couple relationship. No general or typical response strategies to lack of family of origin support emerged, suggesting a lack of models or norms for same-sex couples. The implications for psychotherapeutic interventions with same-sex couples are discussed.     

Moderators of the relationships between coworkers' organizational citizenship behavior and fellow employees' attitudes

The authors developed and tested the prediction that the relationship hetween coworkers' organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) and fellow employees' attitudes depends on the supervisors' abusiveness. Results of a longitudinal study using data collected from 173 supervised employees at 2 points in time (separated by 7 months) suggested that coworkers' OCB was positively related to fellow employees' job satisfaction and affective commitment when abusive supervision was low. However, when abusive supervision was high, coworkers' OCB was negatively related to job satisfaction and was unrelated to organizational commitment. The results of a 2nd study were consistent with the idea that the attributions employees make for their coworkers' OCB explains the moderating effect of abusive supervision on the relationship between coworkers' OCB and job satisfaction.     

Do people agree about the causes of behavior? A social relations analysis of behavior ratings and causal attributions

Two studies examined consistency and agreement in behavior ratings and causal attributions. In Study 1, participants (N = 280) engaged in a series of getting-acquainted conversations in one of 3 communication media (face-to-face, telephone, computer mediated); in Study 2, participants (N = 120) engaged in a competitive group task. In both studies, participants rated themselves and their interaction partners on a set of behaviors and then made attributions about the causes of those behaviors. The major findings were that (a) participants consistently favored some causal factors over others in explaining both their own and their partners' behavior, supporting the existence of generalized attributional styles; and (b) participants showed moderate self-partner and partner-partner agreement about behavior but virtually no agreement about the causes of behavior. Thus, in brief interactions people tend to see themselves and others through the lens of their stable patterns of perceiving and interpreting behavior.