Executive dysfunction affects word list recall performance: Evidence from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases

The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) is widely used in clinical practice to evaluate verbal episodic memory. While there is evidence that RAVLT performance can be influenced by executive dysfunction, the way executive disorders affect the serial position curve (SPC) has not been yet explored. To this aim, we analysed immediate and delayed recall performances of 13 non‐demented amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients with a specific mild executive dysfunction (ALSci) and compared their performances to those of 48 healthy controls (HC) and 13 cognitively normal patients with ALS. Moreover, to control for the impact of a severe dysexecutive syndrome and a genuine episodic memory deficit on the SPC, we enrolled 15 patients with a diagnosis of behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and 18 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD). Results documented that, compared to cognitively normal subjects, ALSci patients had a selective mid‐list impairment for immediate recall scores. The bvFTD group obtained low performances with a selectively increased forgetting rate for terminal items, whereas the AD group showed a disproportionately large memory loss on the primary and middle part of the SPC for immediate recall scores and were severely impaired in the delayed recall trial. These results suggested that subtle executive dysfunctions might influence the recall of mid‐list items, possibly reflecting deficiency in control strategies at retrieval of word lists, whereas severer dysexecutive syndrome might also affect the recall of terminal items possibly due to attention deficit or retroactive interference.     

考试自我效能感是考试焦虑影响考试成绩的中介变量

本文采用结构方程的统计分析技术．依据Baron(1986)提出的确定中介变量的规则和标准．对265名中学生的特质考试焦虑、考试自我效能感、数学期末考试成绩的关系进行了探讨。考试焦虑,考试自我效能感和数学考试成绩是三个潜变量。结果表明,考试焦虑通过考试自我效能感这一中介变量对考试成绩产生影响,考试自我效能感对考试成绩有直接的影响作用,是考试焦虑影响考试成绩的中介变量。     

结构方程模型检验：拟合指数与卡方准则

讨论了Hu和Bentler（1998,1999）推荐的检验结构方程模型的7个拟合指数准则,对这7个指数的历史、特点和表现做了比较详细的述评。指出了他们基于这7个指数的单指数准则和2-指数准则的不足之处。提出了超低显著性水平下的卡方准则,并部分重复他们的模拟例子,将卡方准则与这7个指数准则比较,结果说明新的卡方准则优于其中的6个,与另一个相当。最后简要说明了应当如何检视拟合指数进行模型检验和模型比较。     

Psychometrics in Support of a Valid Assessment of Linguistic Minorities: Implications for the Test and Sampling Designs

In this study, we propose that the unique needs and characteristics of linguistic minorities should be considered throughout the test development process. Unlike most measurement invariance investigations in the assessment of linguistic minorities, which typically are conducted after test administration, we propose strategies that focus on the early stages of test development. Our approaches involve considering linguistic minorities in the selection of the test and sampling designs. We posit that joint consideration of these issues preemptively can strengthen the claims derived from tests used to assess linguistically diverse populations. This also will contribute to more psychometrically robust assessments, which can yield accurate and valid score-based inferences for linguistic minorities. To this end, we provide various examples and methodological approaches that can be used in the selection of the test and sampling designs that take these issues into consideration.     

多级评分项目的多维CAT选题策略开发

本研究开发了两种新的适用于多级评分项目的多维计算机化自适应测验（PMCAT）的选题策略——修正的连续熵（RCEM）和修正的后验期望KL信息（MKB）方法,并与以往PMCAT的选题策略进行了对比研究。Monte Carlo实验结果表明：两种新开发的选题策略比原方法估计精度更高,并且RCEM方法在所有选题策略中曝光率最低。新开发的选题策略具有较理想的估计精度和曝光控制效果,为PMCAT在实践中的应用提供了新的方法支持。     

认知诊断分类中心的确定

期望反应模式是认知诊断分类的类中心,确定了诊断范围中属性及其层级关系后,类中心的数目由测验Q矩阵决定.类中心应该是完备的,即理论上有多少个知识状态就应该有多少个类中心,这涉及评分方式、Q矩阵设计、Q矩阵评价与修改、认知诊断测验如何实施等问题的讨论.重点给出多级评分认知诊断测验不同属性层级对应的完备Q矩阵设计的例子和罗列了Wang等人（2013）的Q矩阵修改的方法.     

印象整饰与内隐态度效应

运用内隐联想测验对不同印象整饰水平个体的内隐态度进行了研究。结果表明：不同自我监控者的内隐性态度是存在的,高自我监控者的内隐态度和外显态度存在分离。研究对“印象整饰对强迫服从后态度改变的影响”的结果做出解释：自我监控者强迫服从后的态度中庸是其关注自身的公众形象而有意压抑和控制其内隐性的评价造成的。     

The International Test Commission Guidelines on the Security of Tests,Examinations, and Other Assessments

The amount and severity of security threats have increased considerably over the past two decades, calling into question the validity of assessments administered around the world. These threats have increased for a number of reasons, including the popular use of computerized and online technologies for test administration and the use of almost undetectable technologies for capturing test content and illegally sharing it instantly across borders and cultures. No assessment program, large or small, is immune to this potential damage. The International Test Commission has recognized the critical need for every organization with an important assessment program to be aware of these and be prepared to counter them. It was for this purpose that these guidelines were developed. Knowing the threats and the guidelines will lead to effective measures to protect the program and its assets, maintaining the value of the tests and assessments to the international community. The guidelines listed in this article provide recommendations on planning for better security, maintaining security during the development of tests and while they are administered, and responding well when a security breach occurs. Following these guidelines will create a significant protective barrier between those who willingly commit test fraud and the valuable assets a program has spent time and money to build.     

Test theory without an answer key

A general model is presented for homogeneous, dichotomous items when the answer key is not known a priori. The model is structurally related to the two-class latent structure model with the roles of respondents and items interchanged. For very small sets of respondents, iterative maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters can be obtained by existing methods. For other situations, new estimation methods are developed and assessed with Monte Carlo data. The answer key can be accurately reconstructed with relatively small sets of respondents. The model is useful when a researcher wants to study objectively the knowledge possessed by members of a culturally coherent group that the researcher is not a member of.This research was supported by NSF Grant No. SES-8320173 to the authors. We gratefully acknowledge comments and suggestions from John Boyd, Tarow Indow, and Kathy Maher as well as the editor and several anonymous referees.     

过去时间的心理结构

４０８名大学生被试用秒、分、小时、日、星期、年和月７个时间单位和模糊统计试验方法对４０个不定的过去时间修饰词作经验赋值,结果显示：（１）过去时间和未来时间在心理结构上是对称的,分为三个心理时间段,即以秒和分为计时单位的“较近的过去”和“较近的未来”,以小时、日和月为计时单位的“近的过去”和“近的未来”,和以年为计时单位的“远的过去”和“远的未来”。（２）随着时间修饰词的词义离现在由近至远,其词义地