Divine Unsurpassability

One historically significant model of God holds that God is a perfect being. Analytic philosophers of religion have typically understood this to mean that God is essentially unsurpassable in power, knowledge, goodness, and wisdom. Recently, however, several philosophers have argued that this is inconsistent with another common theistic position: the view that for any world that God can create, there is a better world that God could have created instead. The argument runs (roughly) as follows: if, no matter which world God creates, there’s a better creatable one, then God’s action in creating a world is necessarily surpassable. And if God’s action in creating a world is necessarily surpassable, then God is necessarily surpassable. If this argument is sound, it reveals a serious flaw in an important model of God. In what follows, I set out this argument, and I then distinguish and evaluate four replies. This paper was delivered during the APA Pacific 2007 Mini-Conference on Models of God.     

The latent variable approach as applied to transitive reasoning

We discuss the limitations of hypothesis testing using (quasi-) experiments in the study of cognitive development and suggest latent variable modeling as a viable alternative to experimentation. Latent variable models allow testing a theory as a whole, incorporating individual differences with respect to developmental processes or abilities in the model. Experiments, in contrast, aim at testing hypotheses that refer to a specific part of a theory; also they ignore individual differences or model the individual differences using age group as a proxy for developmental stage. Drawing on a sample of 409 5–13-year olds, we demonstrate the advantages of latent variable models in the area of transitive reasoning. A comparison of three models showed that the latent variable model that represented fuzzy trace theory had a better fit than the models representing Piaget's theory or linear ordering theory.     

Dimensionality of the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) in cardiac patients: comparison of Mokken scale analysis and factor analysis

The hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) measures anxiety and depressive symptoms and is widely used in clinical and nonclinical populations. However, there is some debate about the number of dimensions represented by the HADS. In a sample of 534 Dutch cardiac patients, this study examined (a) the dimensionality of the HADS using Mokken scale analysis and factor analysis and (b) the scale properties of the HADS. Mokken scale analysis and factor analysis suggested that three dimensions adequately capture the structure of the HADS. Of the three corresponding scales, two scales of five items each were found to be structurally sound and reliable. These scales covered the two key attributes of anxiety and (anhedonic) depression. The findings suggest that the HADS may be reduced to a 10-item questionnaire comprising two 5-item scales measuring anxiety and depressive symptoms.     

Polytomous Latent Scales for the Investigation of the Ordering of Items

We propose three latent scales within the framework of nonparametric item response theory for polytomously scored items. Latent scales are models that imply an invariant item ordering, meaning that the order of the items is the same for each measurement value on the latent scale. This ordering property may be important in, for example, intelligence testing and person-fit analysis. We derive observable properties of the three latent scales that can each be used to investigate in real data whether the particular model adequately describes the data. We also propose a methodology for analyzing test data in an effort to find support for a latent scale, and we use two real-data examples to illustrate the practical use of this methodology.     

God and the Hypothesis of No Prime Worlds

Many theists hold that for any world x that God has the power to actualize, there is a better world, y, that God had the power to actualize instead of x. Recently, however, it has been suggested that this scenario is incompatible with traditional theism: roughly, it is claimed that no being can be essentially unsurpassable on this view, since no matter what God does in actualizing a world, it is possible for God (or some other being) to do better, and hence it is possible for God (or some other being) to be better. In reply to an argument of this sort, Daniel and Frances Howard-Snyder offer the surprising claim that an essentially unsurpassable being could – consistently with his goodness and rationality – select a world for actualization at random. In what follows, I respond to the most recent contributions to this discussion. I criticize William Rowe’s new reply to the Howard-Snyders (but I endorse the spirit of one of his arguments), and I claim that Edward Wierenga’s new defence of the Howard-Snyders fails. I conclude that the Howard-Snyders’ argument fails to show that an essentially unsurpassable being could randomly choose a world for actualization. Accordingly, it fails to block an important argument for atheism.     

Perception of speech and nonspeech stimuli by children with and without reading disability and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

The auditory temporal deficit hypothesis predicts that children with reading disability (RD) will exhibit deficits in the perception of speech and nonspeech acoustic stimuli in discrimination and temporal ordering tasks when the interstimulus interval (ISI) is short. Initial studies testing this hypothesis did not account for the potential presence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Temporal order judgment and discrimination tasks were administered to children with (1) RD/no-ADHD (n=38), (2) ADHD (n=29), (3) RD and ADHD (RD/ADHD; n=32), and (4) no impairment (NI; n=43). Contrary to predictions, children with RD showed no specific sensitivity to ISI and performed worse relative to children without RD on speech but not nonspeech tasks. Relationships between perceptual tasks and phonological processing measures were stronger and more consistent for speech than nonspeech stimuli. These results were independent of the presence of ADHD and suggest that children with RD have a deficit in phoneme perception that correlates with reading and phonological processing ability. (c) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).     

The Psychometric Properties of an Internet-Administered Version of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS) in a Sample of Dutch Adults

Psychometric work on the widely used Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS) has mostly used classical psychometrics and ignored common internet-administered versions. Therefore, the present study used not only classical, but also modern psychometrics based on item response theory (IRT) to evaluate an internet-administered version of the DASS (Dutch translation). Internet-administered DASS data were collected as part of a large internet-based study in the Dutch adult population (n = 7972). Initially, external correlates (i.e. demographics other measures) and some classical psychometrics (internal consistency, convergent/divergent validity) of the DASS scales were evaluated. Next, IRT was used to investigate the scales’ dimensionality, discrimination and item-functioning. Finally, the DASS depression scale was further investigated by linking it to the more clinically-oriented Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS) using item response theory (IRT). Initial classical psychometric analyses supported the scales’ internal consistency (alpha = 0.94–0.98) and convergent/divergent validity. IRT analyses showed that each of the DASS scales was only suitable to measure variations in a very narrow and rather mild severity range. Linking the DASS depression scale with the QIDS also showed that the DASS depression scale discriminated best in the mild-moderate severity range, but not at higher severity levels that were covered by the QIDS. In conclusion, the scales of the internet-administered DASS show good internal consistency and validity. However, users should be aware that the scales discriminate best at mild-moderate severity ranges in the general population.     

A comparative study of the dimensionality of the self-concealment scale using principal components analysis and Mokken scale analysis

We discuss and contrast 2 methods for investigating the dimensionality of data from tests and questionnaires: the popular principal components analysis (PCA) and the more recent Mokken scale analysis (MSA; Mokken, 1971). First, we discuss the theoretical similarities and differences between both methods. Then, we use both methods to analyze data collected by means of Larson and Chastain's (1990) Self-Concealment Scale (SCS). We present the different results and highlight the instances in which the methods complement one another so as to obtain a stronger result than would be obtained using only 1 method. Finally, we discuss the implications of the results for the dimensionality of the SCS and provide recommendations for both the further development of the SCS and the future use of PCA and MSA in personality research.     

A CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEBATE ON SCIENCE AND FAITH BY CHRISTIAN STUDENTS FROM ABIDJAN

The science and faith debate is dominated by Western voices. In order to enrich this debate, the authors study the discourses of different groups of Christian academics and master's students in francophone Africa. This article describes the process of reconstructing and analyzing the discourse of a group of master's students from Abidjan (Ivory Coast) with the help of group model building and focus groups. Three characteristic features that emerge from this discourse include the foundational position of faith, the central role of truth, and the ambiguous connotations of the term “science” in this context. The reconstructed discourse is then brought into conversation with the North Atlantic debate, with a special focus on the concept of scientism.