New Equating Methods and Their Relationships with Levine Observed Score Linear Equating Under the Kernel Equating Framework

In this paper, we develop a new curvilinear equating for the nonequivalent groups with anchor test (NEAT) design under the assumption of the classical test theory model, that we name curvilinear Levine observed score equating. In fact, by applying both the kernel equating framework and the mean preserving linear transformation of post-stratification equating, we obtain a family of observed score equipercentile equating functions, which also includes the classical Levine observed score linear equating and the Tucker linear equating as special cases.     

Mimicry for money: Behavioral consequences of imitation

Two experiments investigated the idea that mimicry leads to pro-social behavior. It was hypothesized that mimicking the verbal behavior of customers would increase the size of tips. In Experiment 1, a waitress either mimicked half her customers by literally repeating their order or did not mimic her customers. It was found that she received significantly larger tips when she mimicked her customers than when she did not. In Experiment 2, in addition to a mimicry- and non-mimicry condition, a baseline condition was included in which the average tip was assessed prior to the experiment. The results indicated that, compared to the baseline, mimicry leads to larger tips. These results demonstrate that mimicry can be advantageous for the imitator because it can make people more generous.     

The efficacy of a universal school-based program to prevent adolescent depression

Evaluated whether a universal school-based program, designed to prevent depression in adolescents, could be effectively implemented within the constraints of the school environment. Participants were 260 Year 9 secondary school students. Students completed measures of depressive symptoms and hopelessness and were then assigned to 1 of 3 groups: (a) Resourceful Adolescent Program-Adolescents (RAP-A), an 11-session school-based resilience building program, as part of the school curriculum; (b) Resourceful Adolescent Program-Family (RAP-F), the same program as in RAP-A, but in which each student's parents were also invited to participate in a 3-session parent program; and (c) Adolescent Watch, a comparison group in which adolescents simply completed the measures. The program was implemented with a high recruitment (88%), low attrition rate (5.8%), and satisfactory adherence to program protocol. Adolescents in either of the RAP programs reported significantly lower levels of depressive symptomatology and hopelessness at post-intervention and 10-month follow-up, compared with those in the comparison group. Adolescents also reported high satisfaction with the program. The study provides evidence for the efficacy of a school-based universal program designed to prevent depression in adolescence.     

Relations between Pavlovian-instrumental transfer and reinforcer devaluation

Relations between posttraining reinforcer devaluation and Pavlovian-instrumental transfer were examined in 2 experiments. When a single reinforcer was used, extended training of the instrumental response increased transfer but reduced devaluation effects. When multiple instrumental reinforcers were used, both reinforcer-specific transfer and devaluation effects were less influenced by the amount of instrumental training. Finally, although reinforcer devaluation decreased both Pavlovian conditioned responses and baseline instrumental responding, it had no effect on either single-reinforcer or reinforcer-specific transfer. These results indicate that transfer and reinforcer devaluation can reflect different aspects of associative learning and that the nature of associative learning can be influenced by parameters such as the amount of training and the use of multiple reinforcers.     

Limitations on representation-mediated potentiation of flavour or odour aversions

Odour aversion learning is often potentiated in the presence of flavour stimuli. Establishment of an aversion to an odour is greater when an odour + flavour compound is paired with illness than when the odour alone is paired with illness. Holland (1983) showed that under some circumstances auditory or olfactory stimuli previously paired with flavours may also potentiate odour aversion learning. The present experiments examined limitations on this representation-mediated potentiation of aversion learning. The results indicated that conditioned stimuli (CSs) that activate representations of potentiating cues are themselves immune to potentiation by other CS-activated representations, but remain susceptible to potentiation by their real stimulus associates.     

Motivated decision making: effects of activation and self-centrality of values on choices and behavior

Six studies examined the value-behavior relation and focused on motivational properties of values, the self, and value activation. Priming environmental values enhanced attention to and the weight of information related to those values, which resulted in environmentally friendly consumer choices. This only occurred if these values were central to the self-concept. Value-congruent choices were also found in response to countervalue behavior in an unrelated context. Donating behavior congruent with central altruistic values was found as a result of enhanced self-focus, thus demonstrating the importance of the self in the value-behavior relation. The external validity of the value-centrality measure and its distinction from attitudes were demonstrated in the prediction of voting. Values were thus found to give meaning to, energize, and regulate value-congruent behavior, but only if values were cognitively activated and central to the self.     

Using theory to evaluate personality and job-performance relations: a socioanalytic perspective

The authors used socioanalytic theory to understand individual differences in people's performance at work. Specifically, if predictors and criteria are aligned by using theory, then the meta-analytic validity of personality measures exceeds that of atheoretical approaches. As performance assessment moved from general to specific job criteria, all Big Five personality dimensions more precisely predicted relevant criterion variables, with estimated true validities of .43 (Emotional Stability), .35 (Extraversion-Ambition), .34 (Agreeableness), .36 (Conscientiousness), and .34 (Intellect-Openness to Experience).