Comments on “the measurement of factorial indeterminacy”

Guttman's index of indeterminacy (2² – 1) measures the potential amount of uncertainty in picking the right alternative interpretation for a factor. When alternative solutions for a factor are equally likely to be correct, then the squared multiple correlation ² for predicting the factor from the observed variables is the average correlation _AB between independently selected alternative solutionsA andB, while var ( _AB )=(1 – ²)²/s, wheres is the dimensionality of the space in which unpredicted components of alternative solutions are to be found. When alternative solutions for the factor are not equally likely to be chosen, ² is the lower bound for E( _AB ); however, E( _AB ) need not be a modal value in the distribution of _AB . Guttman's index and E( _AB ) measure different aspects of the same indeterminacy problem.     

Transformation of a three-mode multidimensional scaling solution to indscal form

Relations between Tucker's three-mode multidimensional scaling and Carroll and Chang's INDSCAL are discussed. The possibility is raised that it may be profitable to attempt to transform a three-mode solution to the general form of an INDSCAL solution. Operationally, this involves transforming the three-mode core matrix so that each section is, as nearly as possible, a diagonal matrix. A technique is developed for accomplishing such a transformation, and is applied to two sets of data from the literature. Results indicate that the process is both feasible and valuable, providing useful information on the relative appropriateness of the two models.     

Parents as therapeutic agents: The usefulness of filial therapy in a community mental health center

Filial Therapy, a program training parents as play therapists for their own children, has been found an effective part of the functioning of a child unit in a community mental health center. The basic philosophy and principles of Filial Therapy are identified. The use of parents as therapists is viewed as consistent with the growth of the community mental health movement and the concept of treating the context in which the child resides. The structure and flexibility of this model are delineated to provide the reader with a basis to introduce Filial Therapy in his/her own setting.     

Comparison of the WISC and WISC-R on a psychiatric adolescent inpatient sample

The present study compared the WISC and WISC-R on a group of psychiatric adolescent inpatients. The results indicated high intercorrelations between the two test versions but with the correlations linearly related to the changes in content and administration rules of the WISC-R. Analyses of variance indicated that, on the basis of the Full Scale IQ, the WISC is an easier test than the WISC-R.The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Ms. Kathleen Lennox for her aid in data analysis and computer programming.     

Die historisch-hermeneutischen Disziplinen im System der Wissenschaften

Gegen einheitswissenschaftliche Nivellierung sind Grundlagen-, Natur- und Kulturwissenschaften zu unterscheiden (weniger als Unterschied von Gegenständen als von Fragestellungen und Vorgehensweisen). Zu den Kulturwissenschaften gehören die historisch-hermeneutischen Disziplinen, und zwar als handlungsverstehende Wissenschaften unter erschwerten Bedingungen. Die Geschichtswissenschaft soll die verborgenen Gründe und Zwecke vergangener Handlungen aufklären, die Textwissenschaften in Form problematischer Texte vorliegende Sprachhandlungen. Texte können in verschiedener Hinsicht problematisch sein: für ein Verstehensinteresse an begründeten Behauptungen oder an subjektiver Bekundung (in selbstdarstellender oder motivierender Absicht). Entsprechend ist hier methodisch zwischen apophantischer und ästhetischer Texthermeneutik zu unterscheiden. Ziel aller historisch-hermeneutischen Fächer sollte kritische Gegenwartsorientierung sein.     

Preference for Human (vs. Robotic) Labor is Stronger in Symbolic Consumption Contexts

Advances in robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence increasingly enable firms to replace human labor with technology, thereby fundamentally transforming how goods and services are produced. From both managerial and societal points of view, it is therefore important to understand demand‐side incentives for firms to employ human labor. We begin to address this question by examining for which products and services consumers are more likely to favor human (vs. robotic) labor. In six studies, we demonstrate that consumers prefer human (vs. robotic) labor more for products with higher (vs. lower) symbolic value (e.g., when expressing something about one's beliefs and personality is of greater importance). We theorize that this is because consumers have stronger uniqueness motives in more (vs. less) symbolic consumption contexts (and associate human labor more strongly with product uniqueness). In line with this account, we demonstrate that individual differences in need for uniqueness moderate the interaction between production mode and symbolic motives and that a measure of uniqueness motives mediates the effect of consumption context on preferences for human (vs. robotic) production.     

The Nature of Client Agency Prior to Therapy: A Qualitative Study on Clients’ Narratives

Client agency is considered a crucial contributor to good treatment outcome. Recent studies, however, differ strongly in how they conceptualise and investigate agency. The current study explores the nature of client agency in ten clients’ pre-treatment interviews. Applying Consensual Qualitative Research, we constructed three overarching categories, subdivided into 14 sub-categories capturing both between- and within-person differences in agency before therapy. We found that all participants oscillated between the experience of a lack of grip on problems on the one hand and noticing their involvement in the problem and taking action on the other. These results present a dynamic conceptualisation of client agency. This allows us to ask pertinent questions for both future research and clinical practice.