Some relationships between the information function of IRT and the signal/noise ratio and reliability coefficient of classical test theory

It is shown that IRTs information function for an item is functionally related to local versions of classical test theories' signal/noise ratio and reliability coefficient.     

A generalized family of coefficients of relational agreement for numerical scales

A family of coefficients of relational agreement for numerical scales is proposed. The theory is a generalization to multiple judges of the Zegers and ten Berge theory of association coefficients for two variables and is based on the premise that the choice of a coefficient depends on the scale type of the variables, defined by the class of admissible transformations. Coefficients of relational agreement that denote agreement with respect to empirically meaningful relationships are derived for absolute, ratio, interval, and additive scales. The proposed theory is compared to intraclass correlation, and it is shown that the coefficient of additivity is identical to one measure of intraclass correlation.The author thanks the Editor and anonymous reviewers for helpful suggestions.     

Unification of models for choice between delayed reinforcers.

Two models for choice between delayed reinforcers, Fantino's delay-reduction theory and Killeen's incentive theory, are reviewed. Incentive theory is amended to incorporate the effects of arousal on alternate types of behavior that might block the reinforcement of the target behavior. This amended version is shown to differ from the delay-reduction theory in a term that is an exponential in incentive theory and a difference in delay-reduction theory. A power series approximation to the exponential generates a model that is formally identical with delay-reduction theory. Correlations between delay-reduction theory and the amended incentive theory show excellent congruence over a range of experimental conditions. Although the assumptions that gave rise to delay-reduction theory and incentive theory remain different and testable, the models deriving from the theories are unlikely to be discriminable by parametric experimental tests. This congruence of the models is recognized by naming the common model the delayed reinforcement model, which is then compared with other models of choice such as Killeen and Fetterman's (1988) behavioral theory of timing, Mazur's (1984) equivalence rule, and Vaughan's (1985) melioration theory.     

Inferential procedures for multifaceted coefficients of generalizability

A two-facet measurement model with broad application in the behavioral sciences is identified, and its coefficient of generalizability (CG) is examined. A normalizing transformation is proposed, and an asymptotic variance expression is derived. Three other multifaceted measurement models and CGs are identified, and variance expressions are presented. Next, an empirical investigation of the procedures follows, and it is shown that, in most cases, Type I error control in inferential applications is precise, and that the estimates are relatively efficient compared with the correlation coefficient. Implications for further research and for practice are noted. In an Appendix, four additional models, CGs, and variance expressions are presented.The research reported herein formed part of a doctoral dissertation conducted by Marsha Schroeder (Schroeder, 1986), under the direction of Ralph Hakstian, at the University of British Columbia. We acknowledge with thanks the contributions to this research of Todd Rogers and James Steiger. We are also very indebted to an mous reviewer who provided some important clarifications in connection with two of the models considered. Some support for this research was provided by a grant to Ralph Hakstian from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.     

Modeling item responses when different subjects employ different solution strategies

A model is presented for item responses when different subjects employ different strategies, but only responses, not choice of strategy, can be observed. Using substantive theory to differentiate the likelihoods of response vectors under a fixed set of strategies, we model response probabilities in terms of item parameters for each strategy, proportions of subjects employing each strategy, and distributions of subject proficiency within strategies. The probabilities that an individual subject employed the various strategies can then be obtained, along with a conditional estimate of proficiency under each. A conceptual example discusses response strategies for spatial rotation tasks, and a numerican example resolves a population of subjects into subpopulations of valid responders and random guessers.The first author's work was supported by Contract No. N00014-85-K-0683, project designation NR 150-539, from the Cognitive Science Program, Cognitive and Neural Sciences Division, Office of Naval Research. We are grateful to Murray Aitkin, Isaac Bejar, Neil Dorans, Frederiksen, and Marklyn Wingersky for their comments and suggestions, and to Alison Gooding, Maxine Kingston, Donna Lembeck, Joling Liang, and Kentaro Yamamoto for their assistance with Example 2.     

The Antinomies of Collective Political Trauma: A Pre-Theory

Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination has less of a lasting impact on the Israeli public's political values, beliefs and attitudes than might have been anticipated from the magnitude of the event and intensity of the immediate responses. Why did the assassination have such a short-lived effect? This article considers the puzzle as a specific case of the broader phenomenon of collective political trauma and its consequences for values, beliefs and attitudes held by the mass public toward issues that it associates with the traumatic event. The article offers six deductively inferred hypotheses that describe, explain and link affective, cognitive and behavioral aspects of collectively experienced trauma. These hypotheses form a pre-theory explaining the perseverence of core political cognitions, even in the face of a considerable challenge to their validity and relevance.     

不确定性问题解决策略研究及存在的问题分析

通过对不确定性问题解决及认知策略方面颇有代表性的研究的回顾、分析了该领域的研究特点、现状及存在的问题。