Models Clarified: Responding to Langdon Gilkey

We respond to concerns raised by Langdon Gilkey. The discussion addresses the nature of theological thinking today, the question of truth within the situation of pluralism, the identity and difference between theological models and scientific models, and the proposed methods for testing theological models.     

Reducing ethnic prejudice: an evaluation of seven recommended principles for incorporation in public campaigns

The present study investigated the effects of seven principles drawn from cognitive models of ethnic prejudice, general information processing models and persuasion models, on levels of ethnic prejudice. It was hypothesized that exposure to cue cards incorporating these principles would result in lower levels of prejudice than cue cards which did not incorporate the principles. A total of 400 caucasian participants were randomly assigned to experimental conditions (where participants were exposed to a cue card incorporating or omitting each of the seven principles), or the control condition (with no cue card exposure), and completed a questionnaire measuring ethnic prejudice. Results revealed that the absence of the principles in the cards led in several cases to unwanted negative effects (higher levels of prejudice than the control group). Reasons for these findings and implications for launching poster campaigns to reduce ethnic prejudice are discussed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Illustrating a Hierarchical Approach for Selecting Personality Traits in Personnel Decisions: An Application of the 3M Model

Recent research indicates that managers are not aware of the latest developments in theory regarding the use of personality inventories in personnel selection decisions. This article presents a systematic approach to selecting traits for use in personnel selection that is based on recent developments in hierarchical personality models. Results from a study of real estate sales associates indicate that the new approach does have much to offer the area. Results are discussed along with managerial implications.     

当前西方文本阅读研究的主要共识与争议

当前,西方研究者在文本阅读研究中取得了一些共识,主要体现在文本表征结构的层次性与情境模型多维性两个方面;而对于文本表征的加工历程则存在较大争议,形成了记忆基础的文本加工观、建构主义文本加工观和情境模型多维加工观三种有代表性的理论。     

Changes in attachment orientations across the transition to parenthood

According to attachment theory, individuals should experience changes in attachment orientations (styles) if they encounter experiences or events that strongly reinforce or directly contradict the major concerns of their existing orientations. Systematic changes should be most evident across stressful life transitions. Wives and husbands expecting their first child completed scales measuring their attachment orientations along with perceptions of themselves, their spouses, and their marriage both 6 weeks before and 6 months after childbirth. As predicted, women became more ambivalent across the transition if they entered parenthood perceiving less spousal support and more spousal anger, with perceptions of anger having stronger impact. Women who entered parenthood seeking less spousal support and those whose husbands were higher in avoidance became more avoidant across the transition. Men who perceived themselves as providing more prenatal support to their wives became less avoidant. These results extend attachment theory and research in novel directions.     

An extension of the exemplar-based random-walk model to separable-dimension stimuli

An extension of Nosofsky and Palmeri's (Psychol. Rev. 104 (1997a) 266) exemplar-based random-walk (EBRW) model of categorization is presented as a model of the time course of categorization of separable-dimension stimuli. Nosofsky and Palmeri (1997a) assumed that the perceptual encoding of all stimuli was identical. However, in the current model, we assume as in Lamberts (J. Exp. Psychol.: General 124 (1995) 161) that the inclusion of individual stimulus dimensions into the similarity calculations is a stochastic process with the probability of inclusion based on the perceptual salience of the dimensions. Thus, the exemplars that enter into the random-walk change dynamically during the time course of processing. This model is implemented as a Markov chain. Its predictions are compared with alternative models in a speeded categorization experiment with separable-dimension stimuli.     

基于网络与演化视角的集体球类项目团队共享心智模型

团队既是当今组织中的重要工作方式, 又是集体竞技的组织形式, 故成为众多学科关注的焦点。共享心智模型是团队成员共享的团队相关情境关键要素的有组织理解、知识心理表征或信念。近年来, 中国足、篮、排三大球集体陷入低谷, 输球又输人的状况屡见取端, 引发举国关注。振兴“三大球”成为建设体育强国必然要迈过的坎。研究提出从网络与演化视角出发, 以“三大球”为主要研究对象, 通过对主题专家的深度访谈与“三大球”标杆球队的进球(或得分)录像分析, 寻找“三大球”共享心智模型演化的共性与殊性, 并为后续研究提供素材与参数; 接着, 采用多重个案设计与追踪研究范式, 交叉检定与复现共享心智模型的演化理论与作用机制理论; 再次, 实证检验成员社会网络类型、结构与演化对共享心智模型与团队效能的影响; 最后, 运用Repast 软件对共享心智模型的形成与演化进行模拟, 以为预测与实时干预提供参考。     

The nanoeconomics of concurrent choice behavior

We introduce to behavior analysis a way of analyzing choice behavior that exploits recent developments in nanoeconomics, financial economics, and econometrics. A response return, modeled on an economic return, is the log differenced count of responses allocated to each of two alternatives during a short time window, compared with that in the immediately preceding window. The response return is a new dependent variable which offers a novel and useful way of looking at operant behavior, especially at the molecular level of analysis. The response–return series is a near‐instantaneous measure of an organism's dynamic preferences for each of two alternatives. Analyzing such a series requires time‐analytic techniques, including Auto‐Regressive Conditional Heteroskedastic (ARCH) models. We illustrate these techniques by analyzing choices between combinations of arithmetic and exponential variable‐interval schedules with pigeon subjects. All response–return series were well‐fitted by one of three ARCH‐family models. The fitted models were differentially sensitive to transition versus steady‐state data samples. The particular insights that the ARCH analyses offer are improved understanding of the effects of the instantaneous effects of reinforcers and their absence, of how the distribution of reinforcers in time affects choice, and of the differences between choice in transition and at steady state.     

Nonlinear Indicator-Level Moderation in Latent Variable Models

Linear, nonlinear, and nonparametric moderated latent variable models have been developed to investigate possible interaction effects between a latent variable and an external continuous moderator on the observed indicators in the latent variable model. Most moderation models have focused on moderators that vary across persons but not across the indicators (e.g., moderators like age and socioeconomic status). However, in many applications, the values of the moderator may vary both across persons and across indicators (e.g., moderators like response times and confidence ratings). Indicator-level moderation models are available for categorical moderators and linear interaction effects. However, these approaches require respectively categorization of the continuous moderator and the assumption of linearity of the interaction effect. In this article, parametric nonlinear and nonparametric indicator-level moderation methods are developed. In a simulation study, we demonstrate the viability of these methods. In addition, the methods are applied to a real data set pertaining to arithmetic ability.