Using the multifaceted Rasch model to improve the TAT/PSE measure of need for achievement

We used the Rasch (1980) model to develop new pictures for the Thematic Apperception Test (C. D. Morgan & Murray, 1938; McClelland, Atkinson, Clark, & Lowell, 1953) or picture story exercise to measure need for achievement (nAch). In Experiments 1 and 2, we analyzed stories to assess the difficulty level of a total of 8 pictures using the multifaceted Rasch model with picture difficulty, story probe difficulty, and participant ability as facets with a partial credit model (FACETS; Linacre, 2005). A total of 6 pictures were retained and 4 new ones added for Experiment 3 in which 201 participants wrote 6 stories to a random set of the 10 pictures. FACETS analysis revealed improved person separation reliability. In Experiment 4, 206 participants wrote 1 story to the Studying picture either before or after filling out a battery of achievement-related questionnaires. The 2 experimental groups did not differ in the amount of nAch in their stories. The coder facet was demonstrated with 2 independent coders using the revised coding system for nAch.     

An example of rehabilitation of speech by mediation-techniques in aphasia

In a case of severe aphasia it was attempted to use a mediation technique. During several months there was no improvement in speech by using the usual techniques. The patient had to learn several gestures that corresponded to different letters. This technique result in a considerable speech improvement. It is discussed which mechanisms are possibly involved in the rehabilitation process; the practical importance of the mediation technique is suggested.     

“Other” behavior and the DRO: The roles of extinction and reinforcement

Jessel et al. (2015) provided some evidence to suggest that “other” behavior is strengthened in the differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO). The present study is a systematic replication of the Jessel et al. procedures. The effects of DRO and extinction on target responding, target-other responding (a response with an established history of reinforcement), and nontarget-other responding emitted by children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and children with no known diagnoses were compared. Other behavior increased in at least one DRO condition for each participant, suggesting that other behavior increases when using DRO, at least initially. Under extinction, target responding and target-other responding decreased to low rates for three of the five participants; however, rates of nontarget-other responding were elevated compared to the DRO condition. These results suggest that increased rates of target-other responding and nontarget-other responding during the DRO condition may be a result of extinction-induced variability.     

Traits, personal strivings and well-being

Traits and motivational units are two elements of widely acknowledged relevance in personality psychology. In fact, some multi-level models have stressed the differences between traits, which are the most generic and decontextualized units of analysis, and middle-level units, which are more closely related to motivational processes and more contextualized in time, space or specific roles. Personal strivings, which are defined as what people typically intend to do, hold a prominent place among middle-level units. Nevertheless, surprisingly little is still known about the relationship between traits and striving dimensions; likewise, little is known about the inter-relationships between traits, strivings and well-being. In this study, we used the NEO-PI-R, Personal Striving Assessment Packet (PSAP) and various well-being measures (viz., positive affect, negative affect, satisfaction with life and purpose in life) on a sample of 405 adults. We found Neuroticism and Extraversion to be related to perceived efficacy in the struggle for strivings; Extraversion, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness to relate to striving intensity dimensions, and a variety of striving dimensions to be significantly related to well-being. A joint analysis of traits, strivings and well-being revealed that traits may indirectly affect well-being via specific striving dimensions, although the mediational effects are slight and both traits and strivings appear to make separate significant contributions to the prediction of well-being. Broadly speaking, the results suggest that units of analysis originating from rather disparate traditions should be integrated in order to develop a consilient view of personality levels.     

A methodology for the capture and analysis of hybrid data: A case study of program debugging

This article describes a methodology for the capture and analysis of hybrid data. A case study in the field of reasoning with multiple representations—specifically, in computer programming—is presented to exemplify the use of the methodology. The hybrid data considered comprise computer interaction logs, audio recordings, and data about visual attention focus. The capture of the focus of visual attention data is performed with software. The software employed tracks the user’s visual attention by blurring parts of the stimuli presented on the screen and allowing the participant to see only a small region of it at any one time. These hybrid data are analyzed via a methodology that combines qualitative and quantitative approaches. The article describes the software tool employed and the analytic methodology, and also discusses data capture issues and limitations of the approach.     

Predictors of Risky and Precautionary Sexual Behaviors Among Single and Married White Women1

Risky and precautionary sexual behaviors were examined in a community sample of 260 single and married/cohabitating White women. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the ability of age, socioeconomic status (SES), marital status, religiosity, and 9 health belief constructs to predict risky sexual behavior with one's partner, using a barrier method of birth control, unintended pregnancies, and number of sexual partners in the past year. The pattern of results suggests that single White women appear to feel more vulnerable to HIV and STD infection and more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior than do married White women. The discussion focuses on the importance of sociocultural factors in understanding risk behaviors within the social context of relationship status, the complexity of the concept of risk reduction, and the need for going beyond the health belief model in order to develop different HIV prevention strategies for single and married White women.     

Can low-cost motion-tracking systems substitute a Polhemus system when researching social motor coordination in children?

Functionally stable and robust interpersonal motor coordination has been found to play an integral role in the effectiveness of social interactions. However, the motion-tracking equipment required to record and objectively measure the dynamic limb and body movements during social interaction has been very costly, cumbersome, and impractical within a non-clinical or non-laboratory setting. Here we examined whether three low-cost motion-tracking options (Microsoft Kinect skeletal tracking of either one limb or whole body and a video-based pixel change method) can be employed to investigate social motor coordination. Of particular interest was the degree to which these low-cost methods of motion tracking could be used to capture and index the coordination dynamics that occurred between a child and an experimenter for three simple social motor coordination tasks in comparison to a more expensive, laboratory-grade motion-tracking system (i.e., a Polhemus Latus system). Overall, the results demonstrated that these low-cost systems cannot substitute the Polhemus system in some tasks. However, the lower-cost Microsoft Kinect skeletal tracking and video pixel change methods were successfully able to index differences in social motor coordination in tasks that involved larger-scale, naturalistic whole body movements, which can be cumbersome and expensive to record with a Polhemus. However, we found the Kinect to be particularly vulnerable to occlusion and the pixel change method to movements that cross the video frame midline. Therefore, particular care needs to be taken in choosing the motion-tracking system that is best suited for the particular research.     

Using cognitive learning theory to design effective on-line statistics tutorials

Careful attention to principles of learning can improve the design of Web-based lessons and tutorials. Tutorials from the Web Interface for Statistics Education (WISE; http://wise.cgu.edu) demonstrate how specific principles can be integrated into Web design to enhance learning in two areas. First, the impact of students’ poor self-regulation abilities on Web-based learning is considered. Second, evidence that specific types of visual presentations improve learning is discussed. Finally, the need for empirical evaluation is emphasized. Specific research and examples from the WISE project are used to illustrate each of these points.