Logistic positive exponent family of models: Virtue of asymmetric item characteristic curves

The paper addresses and discusses whether the tradition of accepting point-symmetric item characteristic curves is justified by uncovering the inconsistent relationship between the difficulties of items and the order of maximum likelihood estimates of ability. This inconsistency is intrinsic in models that provide point-symmetric item characteristic curves, and in this paper focus is put on the normal ogive model for observation. It is also questioned if in the logistic model the sufficient statistic has forfeited the rationale that is appropriate to the psychological reality. It is observed that the logistic model can be interpreted as the case in which the inconsistency in ordering the maximum likelihood estimates is degenerated.The paper proposes a family of models, called the logistic positive exponent family, which provides asymmetric item chacteristic curves. A model in this family has a consistent principle in ordering the maximum likelihood estimates of ability. The family is divided into two subsets each of which has its own principle, and includes the logistic model as a transition from one principle to the other. Rationale and some illustrative examples are given.     

萌萌哒还是古灵精怪?奢侈品品牌可爱风格对消费者偏好的影响

奢侈品品牌热衷于使用可爱风格与消费者进行互动。本文以理想自我理论为基础,通过4个实验探索奢侈品品牌可爱风格类型对消费者偏好的影响机制和边界条件。实验1表明奢侈品品牌的可爱风格(婴儿图式/古灵精怪)会显著地影响消费者的品牌偏好,验证了主效应的因果链模型。实验2进一步明确了主效应的边界,结果表明品牌可爱风格对消费者偏好的影响只在奢侈品品牌的情境下才存在。实验3探索了自我监控水平对主效应的调节作用,发现对于低自我监控的个体,奢侈品品牌的可爱风格难以有效地影响品牌偏好。实验4分析了个体发展阶段对主效应的调节作用,结果表明对于成年期个体,古灵精怪可爱风格比婴儿图式可爱风格更能提高个体的奢侈品品牌偏好,对于童年期个体,婴儿图式可爱风格比古灵精怪可爱风格更易获得青睐。     

Training young parents to identify and report their children's illnesses.

We developed a comprehensive training program to teach young parents what symptoms to look for to judge the severity of their children''s illnesses, what to do at home to comfort their children, and when to consult their children''s physician or take them for emergency treatment. Three pairs of subjects received training that included written handouts, verbal instructions, modeling, positive practice, and verbal reinforcement. Skill acquisition was assessed by a behavioral test in which parents assessed, treated, or reported a simulated illness in a child. Written materials when used alone did not improve the parent''s ability to identify and report children''s illnesses. Modeling and role-playing followed by positive practice were successful in teaching these parents skills that were maintained for 3 months without additional training or instruction.     

Parental Perceptions of Child Development Among Low-Income Mexican American Families

Parents' perceptions of child development are influenced by complex interactions among cultural, social, and economic factors. Insights into how parents from culturally diverse societies perceive the development of their children might explain why different cultural groups foster or value the development of different skills in their children. In this study, we explored the perceptions of child development among low income Mexican American parents. A series of ethnographic interviews were conducted with eight Mexican American families who had preschool children. Qualitative data analyses yielded three main themes that were important to these parents: family attitudes and values, changes, and adaptations. For these parents, the development of social attributes in children, that will enable them to function within their own cultural group, was as important as the development of cognitive or motor skills. Service providers, such as school and mental health personnel, should take into account cultural differences in parents' perceptions of the importance of various developmental milestones for their children when suggesting interventions typically used by parents in the dominant culture.     

Research on Dead Infants

This paper examines the ethicalproblems that arise when research is carriedout after autopsy on dead infants. It comparesthe right of parents against that of the publicinterest in matters of research on dead minors. The basis for the respect that is widelyaccorded to the body of a dead person isexamined and is shown to ground the parentalinterest. A discussion of the nature of thefamily suggests that `informed consent' is notthe best term to apply to the process ofparental consultation. Some reasons areprovided against using this term in the contextin which bereaved parents are consulted aboutautopsy and research on their dead infants. Itis suggested that a term such as `authorize'might better apply to this situation.     

Are Parents Accurate Reporters of Their Child's Cognitive Abilities?

Examined parent's ability to accurately report their child's cognitive functioning. Participants were 145 children and their parents referred to an outpatient mental health clinic for cognitive testing. Parent reports were measured using Likert ratings designed for research and clinical purposes. Children's cognitive abilities were measured using the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery—Revised (Woodcock, 1989) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Third Edition (Wechsler, 1991). For boys, parental reports of general cognitive ability, fluid reasoning, comprehension-knowledge, visual processing, auditory processing, and acquisition and retrieval were significantly related to performance-based measurements of these same traits, and parental report of boys' fluid reasoning and visual processing ability evidenced specificity. For girls, parental report of general cognitive ability, fluid reasoning, visual processing, and auditory processing were significantly related to performance-based measurements of these same traits, and parental reports of girls visual processing and auditory processing evidenced specificity. These findings suggest areas where clinicians can be more confident of parental report of children's cognitive abilities and other areas where clinicians should be wary of parental report.     

采用理想点方法检验生活取向测验及其修订版的单维性

该文从项目反应过程出发,认为可能是由于原有的维度分析方法将生活取向测验（LOT）及其修订版（LOT-R）这两个测验的项目反应理想点过程错误地限定为优势过程,导致两个测验违背单维性的结论;进而采用主成分分析的未旋转成分负荷散点图和对应分析的维度分数散点图,并结合项目相关矩阵法验证LOT和LOT-R的维度。结果显示LOT-R的单维性得到了验证,LOT由于包含两个测量应对的项目而导致违背单维性。最后作者提出应该与理想点过程相一致的心理计量学模型对LOT-R的数据进行分析。     

A parent advice package for family shopping trips: development and evaluation

THIS ARTICLE REPORTS ON THE PRIMARY STEPS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PARENT ADVICE FOR POPULAR DISSEMINATION: (a) developing advice for one specific problem situation, family shopping trips; (b) testing the advice program for benefit to children and convenience to adults; and (c) packaging the advice so it can be used successfully by interested parents. Systematic observation of 12 families using the written advice package on shopping trips revealed its effectiveness in reducing child disruptions and increasing positive interactions between parents and children. These findings, along with interview information from families, showed that the package is usable, effective, and popular with both parents and children, and thus is ready for dissemination to a wide audience of parents-a step that in itself should involve research and evaluation.     

父母成人依恋、怜悯与亲子关系质量:主客体互倚分析

本研究考察了父母的成人依恋对亲子关系的影响以及怜悯的中介作用。采用方便取样法调查广东省某市小学2~5年级学生的父母。534对父母自我报告了各自的成人依恋、怜悯和亲子关系质量。主客体互倚模型分析发现：（1）父母各自的依恋焦虑和依恋回避显著负向预测自己与孩子的关系质量（主体效应）,但无法显著预测伴侣与孩子的关系质量（客体效应）;（2）父母各自的怜悯在上述主体效应中起到中介作用;（3）母亲的怜悯在自身依恋回避对父子关系的客体效应中起到“遮掩效应”;（4）母亲的怜悯在自身依恋焦虑对父子关系的客体效应中起到中介作用。研究结果有利于从成对关系视角理解父母成人依恋如何影响亲子关系,实际干预中可以通过提高父母的怜悯能力来改善亲子关系。     

Foster Parents’ Involvement in Authoritative Parenting and Interest in Future Parenting Training

We surveyed 191 Southwest Ohio foster parents regarding their involvement in authoritative parenting and interest for additional parenting education. Our results showed that most respondents reported using an authoritative parenting style and were interested in receiving future training. Involvement in authoritative parenting differed significantly based on level of education and number of years as a foster parent. Foster parents with a college degree or higher were significantly more involved in authoritative parenting than foster parents with a high school diploma or less. Those who had been a foster parent for greater than five years were significantly more likely than those who been a foster parent for five years or less to use authoritative parenting and desire future training in authoritative parenting.