The ubiquity of common method variance: The case of the Big Five

The factor structures of the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) and NEO-FFI Big Five questionnaires were examined via confirmatory factor analyses. Analyses of IPIP data for five samples and NEO data for one sample showed that a CFA model with three method bias factors, one influencing all items, one influencing negatively worded items, and one influencing positively worded items fit the data significantly better than models without method factors or models with only one method factor . With the method factors estimated, our results indicated that the Big Five dimensions may be more nearly orthogonal than previously demonstrated. Implications of the presence of method variance in Big Five scales are discussed.     

Shifts of the psychometric function: Distinguishing bias from perceptual effects

Morgan, Dillenburger, Raphael, and Solomon have shown that observers can use different response strategies when unsure of their answer, and, thus, they can voluntarily shift the location of the psychometric function estimated with the method of single stimuli (MSS; sometimes also referred to as the single-interval, two-alternative method). They wondered whether MSS could distinguish response bias from a true perceptual effect that would also shift the location of the psychometric function. We demonstrate theoretically that the inability to distinguish response bias from perceptual effects is an inherent shortcoming of MSS, although a three-response format including also an “undecided” response option may solve the problem under restrictive assumptions whose validity cannot be tested with MSS data. We also show that a proper two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) task with the three-response format is free of all these problems so that bias and perceptual effects can easily be separated out. The use of a three-response 2AFC format is essential to eliminate a confound (response bias) in studies of perceptual effects and, hence, to eliminate a threat to the internal validity of research in this area.     

The Flynn effect,group differences,and g loadings

Flynn effect gains are predominantly driven by environmental factors. Might these factors also be responsible for group differences in intelligence? Group differences in intelligence have been clearly shown to strongly correlate with g loadings. The empirical studies on whether the pattern of Flynn effect gains is the same as the pattern of group differences yield conflicting findings. We present new evidence on the topic using a number of datasets from the US and the Netherlands. Score gains and g loadings showed a small negative average correlation. The general picture is now that there is a small, negative correlation between g loadings and Flynn effect gains. It appears that the Flynn effect and group differences have different causes.     

The within-subjects design in the study of facial expressions

The common within-subjects design of studies on the recognition of emotion from facial expressions allows the judgement of one face to be influenced by previous faces, thus introducing the potential for artefacts. The present study (N=344) showed that the canonical “disgust face” was judged as disgusted, provided that the preceding set of faces included “anger expressions”, but was judged as angry when the preceding set of faces excluded anger but instead included persons who looked sad or about to be sick. Chinese observers showed lower recognition of the “disgust face” than did American observers. Chinese observers also showed lower recognition of the “fear face” when responding in Chinese than in English.     

现代医学的时代特征与医学的应当

２１世纪的医学将真正从生物医学发展为人的医学,医学文化将是科学文化与人文文化的统一,医学将更加社会化,国际化,信息化,市场化,生态伦理化和多元化,医学目的也必将多元化。医学是时代的医学,但医学在走向人学。     

An alternative approach to calculating Area‐Under‐the‐Curve (AUC) in delay discounting research

Applied to delay discounting data, Area‐Under‐the‐Curve (AUC) provides an atheoretical index of the rate of delay discounting. The conventional method of calculating AUC, by summing the areas of the trapezoids formed by successive delay‐indifference point pairings, does not account for the fact that most delay discounting tasks scale delay pseudoexponentially, that is, time intervals between delays typically get larger as delays get longer. This results in a disproportionate contribution of indifference points at long delays to the total AUC, with minimal contribution from indifference points at short delays. We propose two modifications that correct for this imbalance via a base‐10 logarithmic transformation and an ordinal scaling transformation of delays. These newly proposed indices of discounting, AUC_{log d} and AUC_{or d,} address the limitation of AUC while preserving a primary strength (remaining atheoretical). Re‐examination of previously published data provides empirical support for both AUC_{log d} and AUC_{or d} . Thus, we believe theoretical and empirical arguments favor these methods as the preferred atheoretical indices of delay discounting.     

On going (and getting) nowhere with our words: New skepticism about the philosophical method of cases

The philosophical “method of cases” has been the subject of intense discussion. In a recent paper, Frank Jackson attempts to vindicate the method by proposing that it is underwritten by the “representational view of language.” Jackson's proposal is potentially very significant. For if it is true, then the method of cases stands, but quite possibly also falls, with the representational view of language as characterized by Jackson. The aim of this paper is to question the philosophical method of cases by showing that it does in fact presuppose a particular view of language that is at the very least questionable, both philosophically and empirically.     

Tomatis® Method comparative efficacy in promoting self-regulation in tertiary students: A systematic review

This systematic review sought to determine the evidence on how the Tomatis® Method, a sound stimulation intervention for improving listening, compares to other self-regulation interventions with tertiary students. We searched studies from the following data bases ‘Academic FileOne, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Communication & Mass Media Complete, eBook (EBSCOHost), HeinOnline, OAPEN Library, PsychARTICLES, PsychINFO, SocINDEX, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar; and the North-West University repository’ and for the period spanning 2003 to 2013. Studies included for the analysis met these criteria: Published between 2003 and 2013; published and written in English, student participant samples from tertiary institutions such as a universities or colleges; programmes or interventions developed and implemented with a positive effect on well-being or self-regulation; application of the Tomatis® Method in a student population, irrespective of an experimental design. A total of 35 articles met the inclusion criteria. The evidence was thematically analysed using narrative analysis. Findings suggest the Tomatis® Method to be superior to alternative self-regulation approaches in decreasing psychosocial and emotional stressors, as well as enhancing well-being of students. The Tomatis® Method was as effective as alternative approaches in promoting self-awareness and self-monitoring. Alternative methods were more effective than the Tomatis® Method in aspects of critical thinking. The Tomatis® Method appears to compare well with other interventions for the promotion of self-regulation among tertiary students.     

Predictors of volitional personality change in younger and older adults: Response surface analyses signify the complementary perspectives of the self and knowledgeable others

Goals to change personality traits have been linked to self-rated Big Five traits. Extending previous research, we investigated the associations between change goals and diverse personality characteristics (e.g., self-esteem), other-rated Big Five traits, and self-other agreement in an age-heterogeneous sample (N = 378). Results replicated previous associations of change goals with age and self-rated traits. Additionally, change goals were stronger when others rated a person’s traits as low and when self-other agreement about traits was greater for extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Associations of additional personality characteristics with change goals diminished when we controlled for the Big Five traits. We conclude that goals to change personality traits primarily reflect the perspective of the self and, for some traits, of knowledgeable others.