The Convergent Validity of Four Burnout Measures in a Chinese Sample: A Confirmatory Factor‐Analytic Approach

The purpose of this paper is to study the convergent validity of the four most widely used burnout measures in a sample of Chinese nurses (N= 717). First, Structural Equation Modeling was used to investigate the factor structure of scores produced by the Maslach Burnout Inventory‐General Survey (MBI‐GS), the Burnout Measure (BM), the Shirom‐Melamed Burnout Measure (SMBM), and the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI). Next, several competing models were tested to investigate the convergent validity of these four burnout instruments. The final results suggest that burnout is best conceived of as a multidimensional construct consisting of exhaustion and withdrawal, which are two related but conceptually distinct aspects. In addition, positively phrased items should be dropped from burnout measures for they constitute a separate factor that is considered to be an artifact.     

Perceptual learning in maze discriminations

In Experiment 1, rats were trained on a discrimination between rubber- and sandpaper-covered arms of a maze after one group had been pre-exposed to these intra-maze cues. Pre-exposure facilitated subsequent discrimination learning, unless the discrimination was made easier by adding further discriminative stimuli, when it now significantly retarded learning. In Experiment 2, rats were trained on an extra-maze spatial discrimination, again after one group, but not another, had been pre-exposed to the extra-maze landmarks. Here too, pre-exposure facilitated subsequent discrimination learning, unless the discrimination was made substantially easier by arranging that the two arms between which rats had to choose were always separated by 135°. The results of both experiments can be explained by supposing that perceptual learning depends on the presence of features common to S+ and S-.     

0-6岁儿童早期教育观念的调查研究

本研究采用调查分析法、访谈法,对0-6岁儿童家长与教师的早期教育观念进行了调查.研究发现,这两类群体认为儿童在0-6岁期问最需要关注的是健康的身体素质、诚实守信的道德品质、坚持与专注的学习品质;不同年龄阶段儿童(0-3岁、4-6岁)需要关注的素质与早期教育方式因他们身心发展特点不同而有所不同;(3)青年人与中年人评定的结果基本一致,教师与家长在多个项目的评定上呈现出差异.研究的结果对早期教育的导向有所启示.