PROGRESS IN PSYCHOMETRICS: CAN INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY CATCH UP?

Murphy and DeShon (2000) show that interrater correlations do not provide reasonable estimates of the reliability of job performance ratings, and suggest that better estimates can be obtained by applying the methods of generalizability theory. Schmidt, Viswesvaran, and Ones (2000) criticize our suggestions as radical, and argue that: (a) the reliability of ratings should be evaluated using the parallel test model rather than the more general and more realistic generalizability model, (b) reliability and validity are distinct concepts that should not be confused, and (c) measurement models have little to do with substantive models of the processes that generate scores on a test or measure. All three of these ideas were once part of the psychometric mainstream, but progress in psychometrics over the last 3 decades has moved the field well beyond these assumptions and approaches. Modern psychometric theory calls for close linkages between measurement models and substantive models of the phenomena being measured.     

The Creation Process of Brazilian Musicians

This study investigated the creative process of well‐known musicians in Brasília, Brazil and the conditions that facilitated the development of their creative abilities. A sample of 14 professional musicians (11 composers and 3 performers) participated in semi‐structured interviews to discuss the following topics: musical formation, dedicating time to music, working conditions, creativity in music, the creative process, and the importance of music in their lives. The results indicated that the majority of the musicians view creativity as a complex process supported by many factors, especially the environment. Four stages of the creative process were described by these musicians: process triggering, preparation, product elaboration, and product validation.     

What kind of love is love at first sight? An empirical investigation

Love at first sight (LAFS) is a commonly known phenomenon, but has barely been investigated scientifically. Major psychological theories of love predict that LAFS is marked by high passion. However, it could also be a memory confabulation construed by couples to enhance their relationship. We investigated LAFS empirically by assessing feelings of love at the moment participants met potential partners for the first time. Data were collected from an online study, a laboratory study, and three dating events. Experiences of LAFS were marked neither by high passion, nor by intimacy, nor by commitment. Physical attraction was highly predictive of reporting LAFS. We therefore suggest that LAFS is not a distinct form of love, but rather a strong initial attraction that some label as LAFS, either in the moment of first sight or retrospectively.     

Easing the Inferential Leap in Competency Modelling: The Effects of Task‐related Information and Subject Matter Expertise*

Despite the rising popularity of the practice of competency modeling, research on competency modeling has lagged behind. This study begins to close this practice–science gap through 3 studies (1 lab study and 2 field studies), which employ generalizability analysis to shed light on (a) the quality of inferences made in competency modeling and (b) the effects of incorporating elements of traditional job analysis into competency modeling to raise the quality of competency inferences. Study 1 showed that competency modeling resulted in poor interrater reliability and poor between‐job discriminant validity amongst inexperienced raters. In contrast, Study 2 suggested that the quality of competency inferences was higher among a variety of job experts in a real organization. Finally, Study 3 showed that blending competency modeling efforts and task‐related information increased both interrater reliability among SMEs and their ability to discriminate among jobs. In general, this set of results highlights that the inferences made in competency modeling should not be taken for granted, and that practitioners can improve competency modeling efforts by incorporating some of the methodological rigor inherent in job analysis.     

Locke's Essay, Book I: The Question-Begging Status of the Anti-Nativist Arguments

In this paper I argue against the received view that the anti-nativist arguments of Book I of Locke's Essay conclusively challenge nativism. I begin by reconstructing the chief argument of Book I and its corollary arguments. I call attention to their dependence on (what I label) "the Awareness Principle", viz. , the view that there are no ideas in the mind of which the mind either isn't currently aware or hasn't been aware in the past. I then argue that the arguments' dependence on this principle is question begging on two counts. Unless this principle is defended, Locke's arguments beg the question against Descartes and Leibniz because their nativism implies the denial of the Awareness Principle. And even when Locke defended the principle, his arguments remain question begging because they presuppose the empiricism they aim to prove. The disclosure of the question-begging status of these arguments debunks a seemingly powerful way of attacking nativism.     

Influence of Maternal Denomination, God Concepts, and Child-Rearing Practices on Young Children's God Concepts

This study tests a model of individual differences in God concepts among kindergarteners, based on social learning and projection theory. Relations among maternal education, religious denomination, God concepts, child-rearing practices, and young children's God concepts were examined. Subjects were 363 Dutch preschoolers (mean age = 66 months) and 271 of their mothers belonging to three religious denominations (open Christian, orthodox Christian, and nonaffiliated). Child-rearing practices as well as God concepts were measured using questionnaires. God concepts were operationalized as ideas about potential characteristics of God. The model was partly supported. Maternal orthodox Christian denomination, God concepts, and child-rearing practices all had effects on children's "potent God" concept, confirming all parts of the model. Differences in children's "punishing God" concept were explained by strict child-rearing practices, providing evidence for projection theory only. Children's "loving and caring God" concepts were predicted by mothers'"loving God" concept, lending support for social learning theory .     

The Psychophysiology of Orthostatic Panic in Cambodian Refugees Attending a Psychiatric Clinic

Orthostatically triggered panic was examined in female Cambodian refugees. Heart rate, blood pressure (BP), panic, and dizziness responses were assessed during orthostatic challenge in three diagnostic groups: orthostatic panic without comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), orthostatic panic with PTSD, and other mental disorders without orthostatic panic or PTSD. During orthostatic challenge, the panic group without PTSD showed a significant drop, whereas the group with other mental disorders showed an increase in systolic BP. The group with panic and PTSD showed a blunted systolic BP response during orthostasis that fell between the responses of the other groups. Catastrophic, culturally specific cognitions present during orthostatic challenge were significantly correlated with the amount of reported panic upon standing. Some patients recalled previous traumatic events during the orthostatic challenge. The findings suggest that orthostatically induced panic attacks in Cambodian refugees are generated by an interaction of orthostasis physiology, catastrophic cognitions, and trauma associations.     

Culturally adapted CBT (CA-CBT) for Latino women with treatment-resistant PTSD: a pilot study comparing CA-CBT to applied muscle relaxation

We examined the therapeutic efficacy of a culturally adapted form of CBT (CA-CBT) for PTSD as compared to applied muscle relaxation (AMR) for female Latino patients with treatment-resistant PTSD. Participants were randomized to receive either CA-CBT (n = 12) or AMR (n = 12), and were assessed before treatment, after treatment, and at a 12-week follow-up. The treatments were manualized and delivered in the form of group therapy across 14 weekly sessions. Assessments included a measure of PTSD, anxiety, culturally relevant idioms of distress (nervios and ataque de nervios), and emotion regulation ability. Patients receiving CA-CBT improved significantly more than in the AMR condition. Effect size estimates showed very large reductions in PTSD symptoms from pretreatment to posttreatment in the CA-CBT group (Cohen’s d = 2.6) but only modest improvements in the AMR group (0.8). These results suggest that CA-CBT can be beneficial for previously treatment-resistant PTSD in Latino women.     

IMAGINATION'S GRIP ON SCIENCE

Abstract: In part because “imagination” is a slippery notion, its exact role in the production of scientific knowledge remains unclear. There is, however, one often explicit and deliberate use of imagination by scientists that can be (and has been) studied intensively by epistemologists and historians of science: thought experiments. The main goal of this article is to document the varieties of thought experimentation, not so much in terms of the different sciences in which they occur but rather in terms of the different functions they fulfil. I argue that thought experimentation (and hence imagination) plays a role not only in theory choice but in singular causal analysis and scientific discovery as well. I pinpoint, moreover, some of the rules governing the use of thought experiments in theory choice and in singular causal analysis, that is, some of the criteria they should meet in order to fulfil those functions successfully.