A Two-Stage Approach to Differentiating Normal and Aberrant Behavior in Computer Based Testing

Statistical methods for identifying aberrances on psychological and educational tests are pivotal to detect flaws in the design of a test or irregular behavior of test takers. Two approaches have been taken in the past to address the challenge of aberrant behavior detection, which are (1) modeling aberrant behavior via mixture modeling methods, and (2) flagging aberrant behavior via residual based outlier detection methods. In this paper, we propose a two-stage method that is conceived of as a combination of both approaches. In the first stage, a mixture hierarchical model is fitted to the response and response time data to distinguish normal and aberrant behaviors using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm. In the second stage, a further distinction between rapid guessing and cheating behavior is made at a person level using a Bayesian residual index. Simulation results show that the two-stage method yields accurate item and person parameter estimates, as well as high true detection rate and low false detection rate, under different manipulated conditions mimicking NAEP parameters. A real data example is given in the end to illustrate the potential application of the proposed method.     

内隐人格观对承诺升级的影响——成功期望的中介效应

研究旨在探讨内隐人格观对承诺升级的影响以及期望在其中的中介作用。研究1比较了个体的实体启动、渐变启动和无启动对照三种条件下,个体的承诺升级倾向是否受不同启动类型的影响。结果发现,被启动渐变论的被试与无启动和实体启动的被试相比,前者表现出更多的承诺升级倾向。研究2使用情景模拟任务,分析了个体不同内隐人格观与承诺升级的关系,并在此基础上探讨了成功期望的中介作用。结果发现:(1)个体越倾向渐变论则更多的产生承诺升级行为;(2)成功期望在内隐人格观与承诺升级的关系中起完全中介作用。     

Perceived Social Support Mediates the Relations Between Parental Attachment and Posttraumatic Growth and Resilience in Adolescents Following the Yancheng Tornado

Previous studies have shown that parental attachment is associated with higher levels of posttraumatic growth (PTG) and resilience in individuals who have experienced traumatic events. The present study investigated perceived social support as one pathway in which parental attachment is related to PTG and resilience among Chinese adolescents who have experienced trauma by considering the role of perceived social support. Participants were 443 Chinese adolescents who had experienced a severe tornado a year prior to this study. The results showed that our model fitted the data well [χ²/df = 2.847, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.970, TLI = 0.963, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) (90% CI) = 0.065 (0.056–0.073)] and revealed that perceived social support partially mediated the relationship between parental attachment, and PTG and resilience. The clinical implications and limitations of our research, and recommendations for future research are discussed in this paper.     

Randomized single-blind multicenter trial comparing the effects of standard and augmented acupuncture protocols on sleep quality and depressive symptoms in patients with depression

The study was aimed to compare the effects of standard and augmented acupuncture on depressive symptoms and sleep disturbances in patients with depression. This is a randomized, single-blind, multicenter trial. 140 subjects with clinical insomnia (score of ≥ 7 on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)) were randomized to the standard (LI4, LIV3, EX-HN3, and GV20) or augmented (LI4, LIV3, EX-HN3, GV20, LU7, and KID6, including intradermal needles for sustained treatment) acupuncture groups. Participants received two sessions weekly for six weeks. In trial, The primary outcomes were improvements in PSQI and the Hamilton Rating Scale (HAMD). Secondary outcomes were treatment credibility and adverse events. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, week 3, end of treatment, and 4-week follow-up. From the 105 randomized patients, 89 completed the trial and were included in the final analyses. Better efficacy was observed in the augmented group compared with the standard acupuncture to improve the PSQI and HAMD at week 3, end of treatment, and 4-week follow-up (all p < .05). The HAMD scores improved with time, except between end of treatment and 4-week follow-up, while in the standard group, HAMD scored improved from baseline to week 3, and stopped improving thereafter. The PSQI scores improved with time in the two groups, except between end of treatment and 4-week follow-up. Compared with the standard protocol, the augmented acupuncture protocol had a better efficacy to treat depression and to improve sleep quality of patients with depression.     

Neurophysiological evidence of how quiet eye supports motor performance

Prolonged quiet eye (QE) duration is associated with greater performance in various types of targeting and interceptive tasks. However, the mechanism by which QE affects performance remains debatable. This study aimed to test the validity of the pre-programming and online control hypotheses using electromyography (EMG), electrooculography (EOG) and electroencephalography (EEG) during a golf putting task. Twenty-one college students were recruited for this study. Each participant performed 100 golf putting trials during which the putting performance, EMG, EOG, and EEG signals were recorded. The QE duration including the pre- and post-movement initiation components, and movement-related cortical potentials (MRCPs) were analyzed off-line. We found that successful putts were associated with longer QEtotal (the total QE duration from QE onset to QE offset), QEpre (QE occurring before movement initiation), and QEpost (QE occurring after movement initiation) durations than failed putts. Greater cortical activation in the MRCPs was observed within the prefrontal, premotor, and parietal cortices during successful putts compared with failed putts. These findings suggest that QE serves both pre-programming and online control roles in supporting golf putting performance.

     

State anxiety reduces procrastinating behavior

Three experiments conducted in China and the US investigated the impact of state anxiety on behavioral procrastination. Participants were induced into a high- or a low-anxiety state and then given a period of 12 min either to practice for an upcoming test or entertain themselves (e.g., watch videos). The results showed that participants in a high-anxiety state spent more time practicing for the upcoming test than participants in a low-anxiety state. Impulsivity and trait procrastination were also measured. Impulsivity was found to be positively correlated with both trait procrastination and dilatory behavior. Overall the findings support a self-regulatory theory account such that the negative emotion associated with anxiety motivates people to increase the effort towards reaching a goal and take proactive measures for the most important task, thus reducing procrastination.     

Training Melanoma Detection in Photographs Using the Perceptual Expertise Training Approach

Although a deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma is treatable if detected early. However, current rule‐based training practices in melanoma detection are not effective. We assessed an innovative technique to train melanoma detection using the perceptual expertise principles. Participants in the training group were trained to categorize melanoma and benign lesions to 95% accuracy. Participants in the control group received no training. Prior to testing all participants reviewed the ABCDE rules. Training was evaluated by the pre and post tests using the Melanoma Detection Test where participants categorized images of melanoma and benign lesions. As compared to the control group, the training group showed significant improvement in melanoma detection and became less liberal (i.e., bias toward categorizing a lesion as melanoma), and both improvements maintained a week after the training. These findings indicate that perceptual expertise training is a promising approach to train melanoma detection.Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Imageability and semantic association in the representation and processing of event verbs

This study examined the relative salience of imageability (the degree to which a word evokes mental imagery) versus semantic association (the density of semantic network in which a word is embedded) in the representation and processing of four types of event verbs: sensory, cognitive, speech, and motor verbs. ERP responses were recorded, while 34 university students performed on a lexical decision task. Analysis focused primarily on amplitude differences across verb conditions within the N400 time window where activities are considered representing meaning activation. Variation in N400 amplitude across four types of verbs was found significantly associated with the level of imageability, but not the level of semantic association. The findings suggest imageability as a more salient factor relative to semantic association in the processing of these verbs. The role of semantic association and the representation of speech verbs are also discussed.