Evaluating Equating Transformations in IRT Observed-Score and Kernel Equating Methods

Test equating is a statistical procedure to ensure that scores from different test forms can be used interchangeably. There are several methodologies available to perform equating, some of which are based on the Classical Test Theory (CTT) framework and others are based on the Item Response Theory (IRT) framework. This article compares equating transformations originated from three different frameworks, namely IRT Observed-Score Equating (IRTOSE), Kernel Equating (KE), and IRT Kernel Equating (IRTKE). The comparisons were made under different data-generating scenarios, which include the development of a novel data-generation procedure that allows the simulation of test data without relying on IRT parameters while still providing control over some test score properties such as distribution skewness and item difficulty. Our results suggest that IRT methods tend to provide better results than KE even when the data are not generated from IRT processes. KE might be able to provide satisfactory results if a proper pre-smoothing solution can be found, while also being much faster than IRT methods. For daily applications, we recommend observing the sensibility of the results to the equating method, minding the importance of good model fit and meeting the assumptions of the framework.     

对当前量化绩效考核的反思

通过文献研究和哲学反思等方法对高校和医疗卫生系统的量化绩效考核进行研究。认为绩效考核不能偏离组织使命,不能弱化职业精神。如何在职业精神和组织使命中一些重要内容难以进入量化指标的情况下合理设计绩效考核体系值得深思。其次,在科研绩效考核中,《科学引文索引》(science citation index,SCI)作为科研论文的产出指标有一定合理性,但也不能唯SCI论;要重视基金,因为它反映了计划性科学的价值,但也不能唯基金论;要重视量化评估,却不能唯量化评估。要保证绩效考核正确导向,就必须纠正泛行政化和官本位倾向,就必须坚持科学化、推进民主化。     

医患关系内涵及模式:基于社会交换理论的研究

梳理了国外医患关系的相关文献,基于社会交换理论视角探析医患关系的内涵,深入剖析了医疗质量和患者信任是构成医患关系的两个重要因子,并进一步构建了简约化的四类医患关系模式,即和谐医患关系模式、改善医患关系模式、不善医患关系模式和紧张医患关系模式。认为医患关系的建立是一个动态的过程,在诊疗过程中医患关系模式之间是可以相互转换的,患者信任是构建和谐医患关系的基础,为我国和谐医患关系的建立进行了理论上的探索。     

基于社会资本理论的社区慢性病防治管理策略浅析

慢性非传染性疾病对居民健康的威胁与日俱增。预防和控制慢性病的蔓延是卫生工作者和公共卫生系统面临的挑战, 也关系到国家社会经济能否持续健康的发展。在社会资本理论这一全新视角下, 分析如何构建社区慢性病防治体系, 整合社会资源, 改善人际网络关系。社区慢性病防治体系的建立将为社会资本的重组和再生形成助推器, 并有助于实现二者的相互促进, 同时, 对提高医疗资源的使用效率, 减轻患者及其家属的经济负担, 建立互信互利的社区慢性病防治平台具有重要的现实指导意义。     

对人的存在的问题思考的中医健康观

基于现象学方法,以《黄帝内经》中提出的有关人的存在与心神的几个追问为线索,阐述了中医关于人是一个独特存在的三个命题：其一,人是自主的和有态度与行为选择自由的一种存在,人的行为决定了自己的期望寿命;其二,得神和守神是人之存在的本质特点,对于人类的疾病而言,调神和守神永远处于中医序贯治疗的首位;其三,精神不进,志意不治,是人病不可愈的根本原因,人可以通过自己意志的力量,去实现“气从以顺,各从其欲,皆得所愿”,达到“终其天年”期望寿命的目标。认为中医关于人存在本质的这些追问和回答迄今仍具有很强的科学价值和生存论上的意义。

     

基于扎根理论的志愿者遗体（器官）捐献的动力探索

在濒临死亡情境下,对26名遗体（器官）捐献志愿者进行深度访谈并收集资料,运用扎根理论的开放编码、关联编码及选择编码对原始资料进行分解、检测、比较、概念化及类属化,并围绕志愿者遗体（器官）捐献的动力进行理论编码。结果显示,构建了扎根于原始资料的志愿者遗体（器官）捐献的新利他主义动机心理模型,形成了正确生死观构筑志愿者遗体（器官）捐献的认识基础、追寻意义存在构建志愿者遗体（器官）捐献的心理特征及利他主义新理念成为志愿者遗体（器官）捐献的动力三条新理论,对诠释志愿者遗体（器官）捐献行为具有一定参与价值。

     

Mapping morality with a compass: Testing the theory of ‘morality-as-cooperation’ with a new questionnaire

Morality-as-Cooperation (MAC) is the theory that morality is a collection of biological and cultural solutions to the problems of cooperation recurrent in human social life. MAC uses game theory to identify distinct types of cooperation, and predicts that each will be considered morally relevant, and each will give rise to a distinct moral domain. Here we test MAC's predictions by developing a new self-report measure of morality, the Morality-as-Cooperation Questionnaire (MAC-Q), and comparing its psychometric properties to those of the Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ). Over four studies, the results support the MAC-Q's seven-factor model of morality, but not the MFQ's five-factor model. Thus MAC emerges as the best available compass with which to explore the moral landscape.     

Noise,Economy, and the Emergence of Information Structure in a Laboratory Language

The acceptability of sentences in natural language is constrained not only grammaticality, but also by the relationship between what is being conveyed and such factors as context and the beliefs of interlocutors. In many languages the critical element in a sentence (its focus) must be given grammatical prominence. There are different accounts of the nature of focus marking. Some researchers treat it as the grammatical realization of a potentially arbitrary feature of universal grammar and do not provide an explicit account of its origins; others have argued, however, that focus marking is a (grammaticalized) functional solution to the problem of efficiently transmitting information via a noisy channel. By adding redundancy to highlight critical elements in particular, focus protects key parts of the message from noise. If this information‐theoretic account is true, then we should expect focus‐like behavior to emerge even in non‐linguistic communication systems given sufficient noise and pressures for efficiency. We tested this in an experiment in which participants played a simple communication game in which they had to click cells on a grid to communicate one of two line figures drawn across the grid. We manipulated the noise, available time, and required effort, and measured patterns of redundancy. Because the lines in many cases overlapped, meaning that only some parts of each line could be used to distinguish it from the other, we were able to compare the extent to which effort was expended on adding redundancy to critical (non‐overlapping) and non‐critical (overlapping) parts of the message. The results supported the information‐theoretic account of focus and shed light on the emergence of information structure in language.