Experimental Power for Indirect Effects in Group-randomized Studies with Group-level Mediators

Mediation analyses have provided a critical platform to assess the validity of theories of action across a wide range of disciplines. Despite widespread interest and development in these analyses, literature guiding the design of mediation studies has been largely unavailable. Like studies focused on the detection of a total or main effect, an important design consideration is the statistical power to detect indirect effects if they exist. Understanding the sensitivity to detect indirect effects is exceptionally important because it directly influences the scale of data collection and ultimately governs the types of evidence group-randomized studies can bring to bear on theories of action. However, unlike studies concerned with the detection of total effects, literature has not established power formulas for detecting multilevel indirect effects in group-randomized designs. In this study, we develop closed-form expressions to estimate the variance of and the power to detect indirect effects in group-randomized studies with a group-level mediator using two-level linear models (i.e., 2-2-1 mediation). The results suggest that when carefully planned, group-randomized designs may frequently be well positioned to detect mediation effects with typical sample sizes. The resulting power formulas are implemented in the R package PowerUpR and the PowerUp!-Mediator software (causalevaluation.org).     

Religious studies as a modern academic discipline in Korea

This article offers a historical and institutional overview of the discipline of religious studies in Korea. It first reviews four early sources of comparative studies: work by Christian missionaries; by Japanese scholars during the period of colonization by that nation; by nationalist Korean scholars who reacted against colonization; and by Korean Christian theologians. The founding of the Korean Association for the History of Religions (KAHR) in 1969 was a key point in the professionalization of the discipline. The field became more firmly established in the late 1980s and early 1990s and has diversified in recent years with a new generation of often foreign-trained scholars. The article ends with a brief discussion of potential contributions that the discipline could make to current debates of national significance.     

Sensitive Topics,Missing Data,and Refusal in Social Network Studies: An Ethical Examination

We describe our ethics‐driven process of addressing missing data within a social network study about accountability for racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, cis‐sexism, ableism, and other forms of oppression among social justice union organizers. During data collection, some would‐be participants did not return emails and others explicitly refused to engage in the research. All refusals came from women of color. We faced an ethical dilemma: Should we continue to seek participation from those who had not yet responded, with the hopes of recruiting more women of color from within the network so their perspectives would not be tokenized? Or, should we stop asking those who had been contacted multiple times, which would compromise the social network data and analysis? We delineate ways in which current discussions of the ethics of social network studies fell short, given our framework and our community psychology (CP ) values. We outline literature that was helpful in thinking through this challenge; we looked outside of CP to the decolonization literature on refusal. Lessons learned include listening for the possible meanings of refusals and considering the level of engagement and the labor required of participants when designing research studies.     

Motor actions and spatiotemporal changes by weight divisions of mixed martial arts: Applications for training

This study compared motor actions and spatiotemporal changes between weight divisions from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC™), conducting a practical application for mixed martial arts (MMA) training. For this, we analyzed 2814 rounds of all weight divisions by motor actions and spatiotemporal changes according actions and time of the Keeping distance, Clinch and Groundwork combat phases. We observed differences between weight divisions in the keeping distance on stand-up combat (p ≤ 0.001; with lower time in Featherweight 131.4 s and bantamweight 127.9 s) clinch without attack (p ≤ 0.001; with higher timer in Flyweight 11.4 s and Half-middleweight 12.6 s) and groundwork without attack (p ≤ 0.001; with higher timer in Half-middleweight 0.9 s). During keeping distance, half-middleweight presented a higher frequency of Head Strikes Landed (p = 0.026; 7 ± 8 times) and attempted (p = 0.003; 24 ± 22 times). In clinch actions heavyweight present a higher frequency (p ≤ 0.023) of head strike landed (3 ± 7 times) and attempted (4 ± 9 times) and half-middleweight for body strikes (p ≤ 0.023) landed (2 ± 5 times) and attempted (3 ± 5 times). At the last, during groundwork, Bantamweight present a higher frequency (p ≤ 0.036) of head strikes landed (8 ± 10 times) and attempted (10 ± 13 times) body strikes landed (p ≤ 0.044; 3 ± 5 times) and attempted (3 ± 6 times). This study reveals important point to training and provide a challenge applied referential to the conditioning plains. From the weight divisions differences should be aware of the increase in the frequency of distance actions, especially in light and middleweights. On the Ground, bantamweight can focus on striking and grappling actions than others.     

Implications of an initial empirical victory for the truth of the theory and additional empirical victories

Psychologists take two propositions for granted. Specifically, empirical verification of predictions derived from a theory (a) support that the theory is more likely to be true and (b) support that additional predictions derived from the theory have an increased probability of being sustained if subjected to empirical testing. In contrast, I argue that both propositions depend strongly on whether auxiliary assumptions are taken into account. When auxiliary assumptions are not taken into account, the first proposition is valid but the second is not. When auxiliary assumptions are taken into account, the first proposition is not valid, and the second proposition encounters additional problems. I use Venn diagrams and Bayesian principles to demonstrate these conclusions.     

Empirical Propositions and the Change of Language-Games

People unavoidably provide reasons for their words and deeds when reasoning in a language-game.Wittgenstein thinks that when people in different language-games argue with one other,they insist on adopting a doubtful attitude toward the reasons provided by the other side.His use of the term "language-game" here is a metaphor,and implies that people in different cultures can scarcely reason with one another.Indeed,according to Wittgenstein's consideration of concepts of logic in On Certainty,language-games are incompatible with one another because their internal logic and reasons are different from each other.However,in his discussion of empirical propositions Wittgenstein has also shown us the possibility that the intemal reasons of one language-game can transmit beyond its own borders and be valid in another language-game.     

以《易》明"道"的易学史观--郭雍易学史观研究

郭雍是兼山学派的代表人物,学术思想属于程门支流.郭雍秉承义理解易之风,推崇二程、张载而又自成一家.郭雍反对象数派的<河图><洛书>衍生大易的观点.他认为<易>为圣人明道之书.到了春秋时期,大道不行,卜筮成为主流.<易>为包羲、文王、周公、孔子四圣人所作.对"道、象、数"的关系,郭雍提出了自己的看法.郭雍还认为汉代以来,象数之学附会于<易>,圣人之道熄灭无传.直到程颢、程颐、张载三先生发挥易理精奥,圣人之道才得以重现.郭雍的父亲郭忠孝是程颐的学生,郭雍作<郭氏传家易说>的目的就是继承程颐和其父的解<易>传统,阐明圣人之道也.     

Lessons Learned from the Parents Matter! Program

We present a discussion of some of the lessons the investigators learned during the development and implementation phases of the Parents Matter! Program (PMP). Lessons were learned that are relevant to various groups involved in large scale, multi-site, community-based intervention studies: investigators, community leaders, community members, project staff, and participants. Specific lessons learned include: (1) forge collaboration early: (2) maintain communication; (3) clearly delineate policies and procedures; and (4) develop proactive strategies. We also include a list of important questions to consider when contemplating similar projects.