Fibrin(ogen degradation product concentration (SFP) as a diagnostic parameter for the differentiation of artifical and essential blood in cerebrospinal fluid

The fibrin(ogen) degradation product concentration is another differential-diagnosis parameter for distinguishing between artificially blood-stained and essentially blood-stained CSF. Determination of the fibrin(ogen) degradation product concentration has been found to be a reliable method of recognizing natively and artificially blood-stained CSF as being different.     

The effect of additional variables on factor indeterminacy in models with a single common factor

Determinate solutions for the indeterminate common factor ofp variables satisfying the single common factor model are not unique. Therefore an infinite sequence of additional variables that conform jointly with the originalp variables to the original single common factor model does not determine a unique solution for the indeterminate factor of thep variables (although the solution is unique for the factor of the infinite sequence). Other infinite sequences may be found to determine different solutions for the factor of the originalp variables. The paper discusses a number of theorems about the effects of additional variables on factor indeterminacy in a model with a single common factor and draws conclusions from them for factor theory in general.     

On various causes of improper solutions in maximum likelihood factor analysis

In the applications of maximum likelihood factor analysis the occurrence of boundary minima instead of proper minima is no exception at all. In the past the causes of such improper solutions could not be detected. This was impossible because the matrices containing the parameters of the factor analysis model were kept positive definite. By dropping these constraints, it becomes possible to distinguish between the different causes of improper solutions. In this paper some of the most important causes are discussed and illustrated by means of artificial and empirical data.The author is indebted to H. J. Prins for stimulating and encouraging discussions.     

Outline forms as visual stimuli in psychological experiments

Summary A set of stimuli to be used in psychological experiments is presented. Drawn spontaneously by the Ss, these stimuli are outline forms which can be freely reproduced in an experimental situation. The complexity and meaning-fulness of 100 forms were investigated. Meaningfulness depended on two variables: the probability of a given form having a certain meaning for a S, and the homogeneity of the meanings a given number of Ss ascribe to this form. Three types of meaningfulness could be distinguished: forms with one meaning only, ambiguous forms and nonsense forms. Complexity, homogeneity and probability of having a meaning are listed for all 100 forms.This research was carried out as part of a doctoral dissertation at the Department of Behavior Science of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. The author expresses gratitude firstly to his supervisors, Professor H. Fischer and Professor K. Bättig, for their encouragement and criticism throughout the research. Thanks are also due to Professor Klaczko and Dr. H.U. Baumann for their many valuable suggestions, to Laurel Gutmann, Professor A. Flammer and Professor M. Perrez for their many helpful comments on earlier drafts of the paper, and to W.G. Hoffmann and R. Casetti for their further assistance.     

Debunking a stereotype: The female medical student

The combined research of Horner (1972) and Monahan, Kuhn, and Shaver (1974) has demonstrated the existence of a stereotype of the female medical student as sex-role deviant and disinterested in sex. The present study examined the validity of this stereotype. Male and female medical students' scores on two psychometric measures were compared with the male and female college norms. The stereotype was not supported. Female medical students demonstrated no greater sex-role deviance than did their male counterparts. Furthermore, only male medical students indicated significantly less heterosexual interest than their same-sex norm.The authors wish to thank Dr. David G. Fish, who was involved in the original data collection. Support for the analyses of these data was obtained from Grant Number 607-1034-21 and from a Career Scientist Award, Number 607-1001-22, to the Junior Author.