Test-retest reliability and construct validity of Contour Drawing Rating Scale scores in a sample of early adolescent girls

Test–retest and construct validity of Contour Drawing Rating Scale (CDRS) scores were examined in 1056 Grades 7 and 8 girls. Questionnaires were completed four times, including retests at 2, 6 and 14 weeks. Test–retest reliability for current size, ideal size and current–ideal discrepancy mostly exceeded 0.70 (0.65–0.87, for the full sample, with higher rs for shorter retest periods). Ideal and current size ratings increased slightly over time. High correlations between perceived current figure and measured body mass index; moderate rs between current–ideal discrepancy and body dissatisfaction and restrained eating; and very low or no significant correlations with social desirability supported construct validity in this group. The study supported the use of the CDRS in early adolescent girls.     

Size of drawings influences body size estimates by women with and without eating concerns

Research has inconsistently shown that women, particularly those with eating concerns, inaccurately estimate their body size. In the present study, drawings of female bodies, ranging from emaciated to obese, were presented to women with and without eating concerns. Drawings approximated the women's actual height or were reduced (15.7 cm). Women selected the drawing that represented how they thought they looked (cognitive rating), felt they looked (affective rating), and would like to look (desired rating). Women tended to select larger drawings when reduced-size drawings were used. Participants with eating concerns overestimated their body size and were more dissatisfied with their body size than participants without eating concerns. Size of drawings and the presence of eating concerns did not affect ratings of the size of a neutral object. Women did not demonstrate a generalized problem in estimating size. Overestimation of body size may be exaggerated in research that used reduced-size drawings.     

Evidence that ideal and attractive figures represent different constructs: A replication and extension of Fingeret, Gleaves, and Pearson (2004)

Figure rating scales are commonly used to measure body dissatisfaction through discrepancy indexes (e.g., difference between current and ideal body) and recent methodological work by Fingeret, Gleaves, and Pearson suggests that distinctions between referent bodies (e.g., ideal or most attractive) are unnecessary. The purpose of the current study was to replicate these findings using both male and female figure rating scales and an opposite-sex comparison group. We examined the relationship between three referent figures (Ideal, Most Attractive to the Opposite Sex, and Most Attractive) and attractiveness attributions in 365 undergraduate men (n = 164) and women (n = 201). Results suggested that referent figures were associated with different attractiveness attributions for both male and female figures, but physical characteristics differed only in male figures. The impact of referent bodies on discrepancy indexes was also explored. Considerations for future research using figure rating scales are discussed.     

Global and local spatial landmarks: their role during foraging by Columbian ground squirrels (Spermophilus columbianus)

Locating food and refuge is essential for an animal's survival. However, little is known how mammals navigate under natural conditions and cope with given environmental constraints. In a series of six experiments, I investigated landmark-based navigation in free-ranging Columbian ground squirrels (Spermophilus columbianus). Squirrels were trained individually to find a baited platform within an array of nine identical platforms and artificial landmarks set up on their territories. After animals learned the location of the food platform in the array, the position of the latter with respect to local artificial, local natural, and global landmarks was manipulated, and the animal's ability to find the food platform was tested. When only positions of local artificial landmarks were changed, squirrels located food with high accuracy. When the location of the array relative to global landmarks was altered, food-finding accuracy decreased but remained significant. In the absence of known global landmarks, the presence of a familiar route and natural local landmarks resulted in significant but not highly accurate performance. Squirrels likely relied on multiple types of cues when orienting towards a food platform. Local landmarks were used only as a secondary mechanism of navigation, and were not attended to when a familiar route and known global landmarks were present. This study provided insights into landmark use by a wild mammal in a natural situation, and it demonstrated that an array of platforms can be employed to investigate landmark-based navigation under such conditions.     

Higher-order activity beyond the word level: cortical dynamics of simple transitive sentence comprehension

Slow electrophysiological effects, which fluctuate throughout the course of a sentence, independent of transient responses to individual words, have been reported. However, this type of activity has scarcely been studied, and with only limited use of electrophysiological information, so that the brain areas in which these variations originate have not been clearly identified. To improve this state of affairs, a principal component analysis and a modern source analysis algorithm (LORETA) were applied to the slow activity underlying transitive sentence reading. Four components explained 97.3% of the variance. Of key interest was a slow variation that occurred throughout the entire sentence but peaked with the appearance of the verb. The main solution for this component was localized in prefrontal and temporal regions presumably involved in semantic sentence processing. This constitutes empirical evidence for cortical activity--related to semantic processes thought to be involved in thematic role assignment--developing throughout the sentence but presenting a conspicuous maximum with the appearance of the verb. This finding also highlights the central role of verb information in the understanding of transitive sentences.     

句子语义、代词和先行词的距离对代词加工的影响

考察了句子语义和代词与其先行词之间的距离对代词加工的影响。结果表明,语义是影响代词加工的主要因素。代词和先行词之间相隔的分句数而不是字数在一定程度上也影响代词加工。作者对这种距离效应的原因进行了讨论。     

Epistemic justification and premise acceptability

In this paper, we want to explore the connection between premises' being acceptable and their being in some sense justified. The equivalence of premise acceptability and justification seems intuitively correct. But to argue for such a connection, we need to analyze the concepts of acceptability and justification. Such an analysis also seems necessary if this equivalence is to advance our understanding of premise acceptability. Following L. J. Cohen, we may say S believes that p when S is disposed to feel it true that p, while S accepts that p when S takes that p as a premise for further deliberation or action. Reasons for belief are reasons for acceptance, and epistemological (as opposed to pragmatic) reasons for acceptance are reason for belief. Following William P. Alston, we may explicate being a justifying reason for belief through the notion of an adequate ground on which the belief is based. In turn, adequacy of ground means that the mechanism grounding the belief is reliable. Given these notions, we may define a concept of justification in terms of presumptive adequacy.     

大学新生网络使用时间与网络成瘾的关系：有中介的调节模型

通过整群取样的方法选取北京市某所高校2250名大一新生为测查对象, 采用问卷方式探讨了大学新生网络使用时间、网络社交使用占网络使用总时间的比重、网络使用的背景性渴求以及网络成瘾程度之间的关系。基于网络使用满足的相关理论以及渴求的条件反射理论, 本研究构建了一个有中介的调节模型, 即网络社交使用比重在网络使用时间与网络成瘾之间起调节作用, 而且这一调节作用通过网络使用的背景性渴求这一中介变量得以实现。结果显示：(1)大学新生每周上网时间为13.58 ± 8.94小时, 网络社交使用占全部上网时间的比重为27.18 ± 18.15%; (2)网络使用时间、网络社交使用比重、网络使用背景性渴求与网络成瘾的五个维度及总分呈显著正相关; (3)网络使用时间以及网络社交使用比重均能够直接正向预测网络成瘾, 同时网络社交比重在网络使用时间预测网络成瘾这一关系中起调节作用, 即相比较少使用网络社交的被试, 较多使用网络社交的群体表现出更高的网络成瘾程度, 且网络使用时间对网络成瘾程度的预测作用相对较低; 而且网络社交比重的调节作用部分通过网络使用的背景性渴求这一中介变量实现。     

Order-Constrained Solutions in <Emphasis Type="Italic">K</Emphasis>-Means Clustering: Even Better Than Being Globally Optimal

This paper proposes an order-constrained K-means cluster analysis strategy, and implements that strategy through an auxiliary quadratic assignment optimization heuristic that identifies an initial object order. A subsequent dynamic programming recursion is applied to optimally subdivide the object set subject to the order constraint. We show that although the usual K-means sum-of-squared-error criterion is not guaranteed to be minimal, a true underlying cluster structure may be more accurately recovered. Also, substantive interpretability seems generally improved when constrained solutions are considered. We illustrate the procedure with several data sets from the literature.