Multicategorical spline model for item response theory

Additional information contained in incorrect responses calls for a multicategorical rather than a binary analysis of multiple choice data. A nonparametric divided-by-total model for joint maximum likelihood estimation of probability-of-choice functions (for particular responses) and of latent ability is proposed. The model approximates probability functions by rational splines. Some illustrative examples of real test data analysis and the results of a Monte Carlo study are presented.The research in this paper was supported by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Grants OGP0105521 and APA 320 awarded to the first and the second author, respectively. The authors are indebted to R. Melzack and A. Baker for making available the data analyzed in this paper. We would also like to thank J. McKenna and B. Cont for their assistance in editing this paper.     

Using a threat of divorce for maintaining family homeostasis within families in extreme distress (FED)

This paper describes a phenomenon of using a threat to divorce by families in extreme distress (FED) as a way of maintaining family homeostasis; that is, using a threat to divorce but never really implementing it. By relating to processes, such as social exchange and attachment, that often take place in the decision-making of divorce, we try to understand why those families choose to use the threat, thereby explaining this phenomenon. Using components of defining family boundaries, excitement and power struggle, we are thus able to better understand the existence of the phenomenon among FED.     

Does Family Cohesion Predict Children's Effort? The Mediating Roles of Sense of Coherence,Hope, and Loneliness

The degree of cohesion and support within families has often been considered a predictor of students' effort-investment and success in school. The objectives of this study are to examine the roles of personal factors (i.e., sense of coherence and hopeful thinking) as well as interpersonal factors (i.e., loneliness) in mediating the relationship between family cohesion and effort. The sample consists of 1719 elementary school children (781 boys and 938 girls) from the fifth and six grades (mean age = 10.25, SD = 0.70) of 29 elementary schools in central Israel. Students answered study questionnaires in the middle of their academic year. Analyses utilizing hierarchical multiple regression and Hayes' bootstrapping approach (PROCESS; Preacher & Hayes, 2008) were used. The results support the distinctive contribution of family cohesion and the mediating roles of sense of coherence and hope (as protective factors) as well as loneliness (as a risk factor) in predicting students' school effort. This study has important educational implications, emphasizing the value of promoting hopeful thinking and coping with loneliness in helping students to thrive in their studies.     

"Motherhood starts in prison": the experience of motherhood among women in prison

This study aims to explore the way in which women prisoners in Israel experience motherhood in prison and construct their motherhood after being released. In-depth interviews were conducted with 9 women, and the data were analyzed according to the phenomenological approach. The qualitative methodology generated 5 main themes: (a) motherhood in prison as a motive for survival; (b) the sense of failure experienced by mothers in prison; (c) coping versus avoidance in the mother-child relationship during imprisonment; (d) motherhood in prison as a motive for change; and (e) the transition from questioning the right to be a mother to redeeming motherhood. The 5 themes were organized into a model that depicts the process of becoming a mother in prison and the move toward mending the experience of motherhood. The findings indicate that side by side with the traumatic experiences of prison are other aspects that allow for growth and rehabilitation. The discussion focuses on 2 main issues that evolved from the findings: the reasons for the change in motherhood that occurs during imprisonment and the aspects of prison that enable this change.     

They heard a cry: psychosocial resources moderate perception of others' distress

Two studies tested whether psychosocial resources affect perception of another's distress. Participants' had their resources depleted, left unchanged, or boosted by elaborately recalling either someone who had betrayed them, a neutral person, or a close and trusted other, respectively. Participants then listened to disturbing baby cries, and rated how much distress the cries conveyed. As predicted, participants who recalled a betrayal subsequently heard the cries as conveying more distress than did other participants (Study 1). However, recalling a betrayal did not amplify cry ratings if, prior to cry rating, betrayal‐related thoughts and feelings were disclosed (Study 2). The moderating effect of disclosure on cry ratings indicates that boosting resources (disclosure) can counteract the effects of resource depletion (betrayal). Results in both studies remained significant even after controlling for mood. This research is the first to show that social contexts, and emotional disclosure, each affects perception of others' distress. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Violation of the transitivity axiom may explain why, in empirical studies, a significant number of subjects violate GARP

Most papers using experimental data find that a significant number of agents are not utility function maximizers. Using three experimental datasets, we provide empirical evidence that these violations of utility function maximizing behavior are simply generated by a violation of the preference transitivity axiom. Moreover, we find that 97% of agents’ behavior is consistent with maximization of a generalized utility function called a variable intervals function (which corresponds to a numerical representation of complete-acyclic preferences).     

Life With a Partner with ADHD: The Moderating Role of Intimacy

Adult attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) manifests itself through a variety of symptoms, some of which affect not only occupational and recreational activities but also intimate relationships. Previous findings have focused on the effects of adult ADHD on intimacy and relationships from the ADHD diagnosed person’s point of view. However, spouses of people with ADHD are a neglected population with regard to the effects that ADHD has on their romantic relationships. Our aim was to assess the effects of being married to a spouse with ADHD on marital relationships, and the moderating role of intimacy. We compared healthy spouses of people with ADHD to healthy spouses of healthy adults (M?=?38.23, SD?=?4.78) in their degree of self-reported intimacy and marital satisfaction. Our findings indicate that spouses of individuals with ADHD report significantly lower intimacy and lower marital satisfaction compared to spouses of individuals without ADHD. Moreover, our findings indicate that spousal reports about their degree of intimacy mediate the relationships between their spouses’ ADHD and their marital satisfaction. Results are discussed in relation to the broad implications that adult ADHD has for romantic intimacy. Our research addresses healthy partners married to a spouse with ADHD, suggesting that living with a partner with ADHD behaviors is challenging. ADHD symptoms negatively affect various qualities in the person experiencing them, but of equal importance is the damage occurring to his or her spouse. Implications for future research and recommendations for clinical work are suggested.     

Balance Performance During Perturbed Standing Is Not Associated With Muscle Strength and Power in Young Adults

The authors investigate the ways in which varied postural responses to translating platform perturbations are associated with the variables of strength and power. Twenty-four physically active and 27 sedentary young adults were exposed to a set of postural perturbations at varied velocities (10 and 20 cm/s) and the respective accelerations (6.4 and 6.9 m/s²), constant distance (6 cm), and 4 directions of platform motion (forward, backward, left-lateral, and right-lateral). They also performed maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVC) and chair rising/chair jumping tests. The analysis of variance revealed significant interaction effect for peak center of pressure displacement, direction by velocity: F_3,129 = 24.43, p = .002; and direction by acceleration: F_3,129 = 34.18, p = .001. There were no significant correlations between peak center of pressure displacements and peak force and peak rate of force development measured during MVC in either standing (r = .27–57) or sitting positions (r = .12–51) and peak power during chair jumping (r = .47–.59) in all participants. As such, only a small proportion of variance was explained (9–39%, 3–23%, and 23–41%, respectively). In conclusion, interaction effects indicate that the composition of stimuli strongly influences compensatory responses and this effect is more pronounced in sedentary than in physically active young adults. Nevertheless, the dynamic balance is not associated with muscle strength and power in either group.     

Contextual adjustments in cognitive control across tasks

Does encountering information-processing conflict recruit general mechanisms of cognitive control or change only the representations of specific cues and responses? In the present experiments, a flanker task elicited responses to symbolic information (arrow meaning), whereas Stroop-like tasks elicited responses to nonsymbolic information (color of a letter or location of a target box). Despite these differences, when participants performed the flanker and Stroop tasks intermittently in randomized orders, the extent of information-processing conflict encountered on a particular trial modulated performance on the following trial. On across-task trial pairs, increases in response time to incongruent relative to congruent stimulus arrays were smaller immediately following incongruent trials than immediately following congruent trials. The degree of cognitive control exerted on a particular task thus appears to reflect not only the quality, but also the quantity, of recent experiences of information-processing conflict.     

Effects of Trainee Characteristics on Training Effectiveness

Six employee characteristics (conscientiousness, self‐efficacy, motivation to learn, learning goal orientation, performance goal orientation, instrumentality) and one work environment characteristic (transfer of training climate) were captured for 130 trainees in a large industrial company in an attempt to predict training effectiveness (training grade, supervisor evaluation of the application of training). The results strongly support the predicted links, although not all the predictor variables contributed a statistically significant share of the explained variance of the training outcomes. Motivation to learn and learning goal orientation were found to contribute most to predicting training outcomes. The implications of the results are discussed and the limitations of the study are noted, along with suggested avenues for future research.