Conditions under which thurstone case III representations for binary choice probabilities are also Fechnerian

By a Thurstone Case III representation for binary symmetric choice probabilities P_x,y we mean that there exist functions F, μ, σ > 0 such that $\text{P}{}_{\mathrm{x,y}}\text{= F[}\text{(μ(x) ? μ(y))}\text{(σ}{}^2\text{(x) + σ}{}^2\text{(y))}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{]}$. We show that the constraint σ = constant, or μ = ασ + β, α ≠ 0, is both necessary and sufficient for a Thurstone Case III representation to be Fechnerian, i.e., to be reexpressable as as P_x,y = G(u(x) ? u(y)) for some suitably chosen functions G, u.     

Achievement strategies in peer groups and adolescents' school adjustment and norm-breaking behavior

The present study examined the extent to which the achievement strategies deployed by adolescents, and those used by their peers would predict adolescents' school adjustment, academic achievement and problem behavior. The participants were 287 14–15-year-old comprehensive school students (121 boys and 165 girls) from a middle-sized town in central Sweden. The results showed that not only the maladaptive strategies used by adolescents, but also those reported by their peers predicted adolescents' norm-breaking behavior, low school adjustment and low level of achievement: high levels of failure expectations and task-avoidance among adolescents' peers were positively associated with adolescents' own norm-breaking behavior, and indirectly via this, also with their maladjustment at school and low grades. These associations were found after controlling for the impact of adolescents' own achievement strategies.     

Comparing autistic and normal children along the dimensions of reinforcement maximization, stimulus sampling, and responsiveness to extinction

The purpose of this study was to assess autistic children's ability to maximize reinforcement, sample among available stimuli, and respond to extinction. Responding to five concurrent reinforcement schedules (CRF, FR 2, FR 4, FR 7, and FR 11) was monitored and compared to groups of mental age-matched and chronological age-matched normal children. When a given child consistently selected a given schedule of reinforcement, it was then put on extinction, and both perseveration and responding to the remaining (intact) schedules of reinforcement were monitored. The results showed, first, that while normal children selected the richest schedule of reinforcement, autistics did not maximize reinforcement, typically selecting one of the thinner schedules available. Second, the autistic children sampled less, and less efficiently, than the normal children. Third, the autistic children proved to be much less responsive to extinction, perseverating longer than the normal children before switching to a new reinforcement schedule. Fourth, whenever extinction proved to be a problem in the autistics, it was quickly achieved by a simple change in the stimulus conditions. These results are discussed as possible "keystone" deficits, which may be causally related to many of the behavioral deficits of autism and which might be important target behaviors for treatment.     

Decision making in a case of mixed uncertainty: A normative model

We consider a case of uncertainty which is frequently met in various fields, e.g., in parametric statistics: Events {θ}, θ ∈ ∵, are members of family $\text{E}$ on which the decision maker possesses no information at all; however, conditionally on the realization of {θ}, he is able to affix probabilities to all members of another family of events, $\text{F}$. We assume that the decision maker: (1) has a rational behavior under complete ignorance, for decisions whose results only depend on events of $\text{E}$; (2) with {θ} known, maximizes his conditional expected utility for decisions whose results only depend on events of $\text{F}$; (3) has (unconditional) preferences which are consistent with his conditional ones. These assumptions are shown to be sufficient to ensure an approximate representation of the decision maker's preference by a real-valued function W which has the form $\text{W(f) = v[}\text{Inf}{}_{\mathrm{\theta \in \because }}\text{E}{}_{\mathrm{\theta }}\text{(u°f),}\text{Sup}{}_{\mathrm{\theta \in \because }}\text{E}{}_{\mathrm{\theta }}\text{(u°f)]}$, where u and v, respectively, characterize the decision maker's attitudes toward risk and toward complete ignorance.     

On the development of color naming in young children: data and theory

Among the semantics of different common attributes of the environment, consistent and correct color naming seems to develop paradoxically late in children, for even young infants discriminate and categorize colors well, color is a salient feature of the child's world, and children are aware of color as a separate domain, know color terms, and respond to color questions with color names. Several specific anomalies characterize early linguistic development in this domain: Errors in beginning color naming are perseverative or random, there seems to be a minimum age for correct and consistent color naming, developmental rate shows wide individual differences, and acquisition among girls is generally faster than among boys. This essay reviews data that support these observations, and evaluates three traditional explanations for them--including the perceptual salience of color for children, experience and learning in the child, and cognitive development--against a fourth new possibility. It is hypothesized that appropriate color naming may depend on the maturation and integration of specific cortical neurological structures; among several interpretations, the neurological one accounts best for diverse characteristics of early color naming.     

浅田惟常与《伤寒论识》

浅田惟常是日本折衷考证派的代表人物，《伤寒论识》是其涵泳《伤寒论》三十年后之力作。浅田氏认为“辨脉”、“平脉”、“伤寒例”非仲景原作，故仅对六经病等篇进行了注释；他以小学方法考释《伤寒论》，广罗博证，语多精辟。何廉臣称其“足于丹波氏《伤寒论辑义》并传”，其评价是恰如其分的。     

Youth athletes’ perception of autonomy support from the coach, peer motivational climate and intrinsic motivation in sport setting: One-year effects

Objectives

Grounded in self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985) and achievement goal theory (AGT; Nicholls, 1989), the present study examined the temporal stability and reciprocal relationships among three key variables related to motivation: perceived autonomy support from the coach, task-involving peer motivational climates, and athletes’ intrinsic motivation.

Design

A prospective longitudinal design with data collected on two occasions one year apart over the course of a youth training season.

Method

Young athletes (N = 362, age range 11-16 years) completed measures of the Sport Climate Questionnaire and the Peer Motivational Climate in Youth Sport Questionnaire. One-year later participants completed these questionnaires again along with the Sport Motivation Scale.

Results

Structural equation modeling indicated that perceived autonomy support from the coach and task-involving peer motivational climates exhibited comparatively high stability over a one-year period. In cross-lagged analyses, perceived autonomy support from the coach positively predicted task-involving peer climate one-year later but not vice versa. In addition, both social factors demonstrated a significant direct effect on athletes intrinsic motivation measured concurrently in sport contexts. Further, an alternative structural model supported a longitudinal direct effect of autonomy support from the coach and task-involving peer climate measured on the first occasion on subsequent intrinsic motivation.

Conclusion

Results demonstrated the value of perceived autonomy support from the coach and task-involving peer motivational climate in predicting athletes’ intrinsic motivation over a training year. Findings also suggest that perceived autonomy support from the coach can facilitate later task-involving peer motivational climate.     

An assessment of the similarities between a measure of positive perfectionism and a measure of conscientious achievement striving

Objectives

The purpose of the study was to examine the similarities between the constructs measured by the positive perfectionism subscale from the Positive and Negative Perfectionism Scale and the achievement striving subscale from the Revised NEO Personality Inventory.

Design

A non-experimental design was adopted.

Method

One-hundred and seventy-nine junior basketball players (age M = 16.50, s = 1.12) completed measures of positive perfectionism, conscientious achievement striving and other external measures.

Results

Analyses revealed that the two scales were highly positively correlated and demonstrated a similar pattern of relationships with the external measures. However, a single latent factor model provided a comparatively poorer fit than a two latent factor model.

Conclusions

There is some evidence that the positive perfectionism and achievement striving constructs measured by the scales in this study are distinguishable as two distinct factors in a confirmatory factor analysis; however, more empirical evidence is needed to establish their substantive differences.     

Pro-environmental attitudes,pro-environmental behaviours and nature-relatedness: Differences based on place preference

IntroductionThis study explored whether place preference, an individual's relationship with place, differentiated people on pro-environmental attitudes, nature-relatedness and pro-environmental behavior.ObjectiveThe aim was to provide a way to segment people and potentially inform behavior change messaging strategies targeting pro-environmental action.MethodOnline participants reported an urban/nature place preference, completed a sense of place measure in reference to this categorisation, followed by counter-balanced nature-relatedness, pro-environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behaviour measures.ResultsParticipants reported moderate-to-high levels of sense of place generally and place attachment specifically. Positive associations between sense of place, nature relatedness, pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours existed; but differed by place preference. Correlations were positive in the nature preference group but negative or non-significant in the urban preference group. Individuals with a nature preference reported higher nature-relatedness, pro-environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behavior.ConclusionThe results suggest place preference can discriminate individuals on a range of pro-environmental concepts and may have potential for behavior change strategies targeting these outcomes.