Computerized assessment in neuropsychology: A review of tests and test batteries

This article contains detailed reviews of 13 computerized neuropsychological and performance test batteries and six stand-alone computer tests. Tasks found on these instruments are described and tables illustrate which batteries employ which measures. In addition to issues of reliability and validity, special considerations apply to computerized assessment. These issues are discussed and readers are provided information to help them assess computerized tests in relation to their particular clinical and research needs. Since many computerized tests were developed as performance assessment tools, the relationship between performance and neuropsychological assessment is examined.     

Computational behavior dynamics: an alternative description of Nevin (1969).

A computational processing behavior-dynamic model was instantiated in the form of a computer program that "behaved" on the task developed by Nevin (1969). In this classic discrete-trials experiment, the relative frequency of choosing a response alternative matched the relative frequency of reinforcement for that alternative, the local structure of responding was opposite that predicted by momentary maximizing (i.e., the probability of a changeover decreased with run length), and absolute and relative response rates varied independently. The behavior-dynamic model developed here qualitatively reproduced these three results (but not in quantitative and specific detail) and also generated some interesting, as-yet-untested predictions about performance in Nevin's task. The model was discussed as an example of a stochastic behavior-dynamic alternative to algebraic behavior theory.     

Association of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) polymorphism and academic achievement in a Chinese cohort

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is a methylation enzyme that catalyzes the degradation pathway and inactivation of dopamine. It is accepted widely as being involved in the modulation of dopaminergic physiology and prefrontal cortex (PFC) function. The COMT Val158Met polymorphism is associated with variation in COMT activity. COMT 158Met allele may be advantageous for PFC-related cognitive abilities; however, it is also associated with increased anxiety, depression, and emotional vulnerability in response to stress or educational adversity. We hypothesized that the COMT polymorphism might be associated with academic performance. In this study, 779 Taiwanese tenth-grade volunteers were recruited. Scores from the Basic Competency Test (BCT), an annual national competitive entrance examination, were used to evaluate academic performance. The results indicated that students bearing homozygous for the Met allele tended to perform more poorly in all BCT subtests as compared to the other groups. In particular, the former performed significantly more poorly in the science and social science subtests. These findings provide evidence that affective factors might overwhelm cognitive abilities in high-stake tests like the BCT.     

Sex Differences in the Effects of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Social Organization on Rural Adolescents’ Aggression Trajectories

We determined whether effects of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage on trajectories of aggression were moderated or mediated by neighborhood social organization and examined sex differences in neighborhood effects for rural adolescents. We used five waves of survey data collected over 2.5 years linked with neighborhood data from interviews with parents and the US Census. The sample (N = 5,118) was 50.1% female, 52.0% white and 38.3% African–American; average age at baseline was 13.1 years. Multilevel growth curve models for both girls and boys showed no significant interactions between neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and indicators of social organization. Neither sample showed evidence of mediated effects. In main effects models, neighborhood disadvantage was associated with the average aggression trajectory for girls. For boys, the effects of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and social disorganization appeared to be confounded with each other. Neighborhood disadvantage is detrimental for rural girls regardless of the level of social organization.     

汉字记忆中错误联接的码相加效应

采用错误联接的实验范式考察汉字记忆中的码相加效应。实验1采用形码加义码,结果发现对义似形似组的特征诱字错误再认率显著高于义异形似组的。实验2采用形码加音码．结果发现对音似形似组的诱字的错误再认率显著高于音异形似组的。研究表明汉语记忆中的错误联接存在码相加效应。研究结果可用激活混淆来源理论解释。     

夫妻沟通模式与婚姻质量的关系

本文拟采用主-客体互倚模型(Actor-partner interdependence model,APIM)的方法深入探讨夫妻双方感知到的夫妻间的沟通模式与其自身及配偶感知到的婚姻质量之间的关系。以方便取样的方式在澳门地区选取130对成年夫妻,采用Christensen等人修订的沟通模式调查问卷(Communication Pattern Questionnaire,CPQ)和Spanier编制的婚姻质量问卷(Dyadic Adjustment Scales,DAS),要求夫妻双方分别以自陈问卷的方式报告其感知到的沟通模式和婚姻质量。通过配对t检验、相关分析和结构方程模型统计分析发现:(1)夫妻间的沟通以建设性沟通为主,双方回避和要求/回避型沟通较少;丈夫感知到的婚姻质量总体上优于妻子感知到的婚姻质量。(2)夫妻双方在沟通模式和婚姻质量的感知上具有一致性,在沟通模式中的两个和婚姻质量中的三个分量表上的得分不存在显著差异。(3)夫妻间建设性沟通可以显著地正向预测自身感知到的婚姻质量;而双方回避和要求/回避型沟通则显著地负向预测自身感知到的婚姻质量。(4)在控制了丈夫、妻子感知到的沟通模式对其自身婚姻质量的主体效应之后,丈夫感知到的沟通模式可以显著地预测妻子感受到的婚姻质量;然而妻子感知到的沟通模式并不能显著地预测丈夫的婚姻质量。     

责任心的多元内涵与结构及其理论整合

责任心研究, 在心理学不同领域有类似的对象、相近的内涵, 但又有不同的概念界定、研究方法和测量工具, 研究结果迥异。文章首先回顾了已有研究对责任心内涵和结构的探索, 试图从整体上把握责任心研究在各领域成果间的关联;其次, 对人格领域、道德领域和认知领域中与责任心相关的的理论进行了分析;最后, 基于对责任三角模型优势和局限的分析, 并结合先前理论的启示, 尝试提出了一个更具综合性的责任心三侧面理论模型, 并探讨了该模型在理论上可能具有的特征。     

Global Model Analysis of Cognitive Variability

Residual fluctuations produced in typical experimental methodologies are examined as correlated noises. The effective range of the correlations was assessed by determining whether the decay over look-back time is better described as a power law or exponential. Both of these decay laws contain free parameters and it is argued that it is not possible to distinguish their models on the basis of simple measures of goodness-of-fit. Global analyses that evaluate models on the basis of how well they generalize are conducted. The models are examined in terms of three constructs that all bear on generalization: cross-validity, flexibility, and representativeness. Quantitative assessment of a large ensemble of data suggests that the correlations decay over time as a power law. The conclusion is that human residual fluctuation is a correlated fractal.     

Identifiability and Equivalence of GLLIRM Models

The generalized logit–linear item response model (GLLIRM) is a linearly constrained nominal categories model (NCM) that computes the scale and intercept parameters for categories as a weighted sum of basic parameters. This paper addresses the problems of the identifiability of the basic parameters and the equivalence between different GLLIRM models. It is shown that the identifiability of the basic parameters depends on the size and rank of the coefficient matrix of the linear functions. Moreover, two models are observationally equivalent if the product of the respective coefficient matrices has full column rank. Finally, the paper also explores the relations between the parameters of nested models. I would like to express my gratitude to the editor and three anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions on earlier versions of the paper. This work was supported by the Comunidad de Madrid (Spain) grant: CCG07-UAM/ESP-1615.     

变革型领导力和交易型领导力：团队绩效的预测指标

在高不确定,高度竞争,高度挑战的任务情景下,领导力在团队中将扮演怎样的角色？变革型领导力与交易型领导力又是如何预测团队任务绩效的？为了回答这些问题,该研究对130名学生被试,31个团队,用ERP沙盘模拟游戏来进行模拟实验。通过高度模拟现实中企业经营的情景,从而提高实验结果的外部效度。实验结果表明,变革型领导力与交易型领导力都能够积极地预测团队任务绩效,消极领导力与任务绩效呈负相关,虽然并没有达到统计学显著水平,但研究结果的方向都支持了实验假设。