Clustering,dependence and ratio scales in AHP: Rank reversals and incorrect priorities with a single criterion

In the analytic hierarchy process, it is often thought that rank reversals cannot occur in a single-criterion problem. This paper demonstrates that if it is necessary to cluster items under a single criterion, such reversals are possible. The reversals occur prior to aggregating across clusters and are caused by a failure to make reference to the alternatives when performing criteria comparisons. Rank reversals, however, are only a symptom of the problem. The real problem is a failure to calibrate global weights to a common scale which spans different clusters. Even in the absence of reversals, aggregated weights from the AHP's relative mode of measurement can fail to maintain composite ratio relationships.     

Why didn’t you say something? Effects of after-event reviews on voice behaviour and hierarchy beliefs in multi-professional action teams

Team decision-making can go wrong when individuals fear to voice suggestions or concerns to higher status team members. We investigate how after-event reviews (AERs) can be used to promote voice behaviour and hierarchy-attenuating beliefs in multi-professional action teams. We hypothesized that (1) lower status team members will speak up more following an assertiveness-specific AER (ASAER) as compared to a teamwork-generic AER (TGAER) and (2) that an ASAER leads to stronger endorsement of hierarchy-attenuating beliefs than the TGAER. To test these hypotheses, we implemented simulations of medical emergencies with 20 healthcare teams consisting of low (i.e., nurses) and high-status (i.e., physicians) professions. After participating in one of the two AERs, teams managed a simulation in which a higher status confederate engaged in potentially harmful actions. Behavioural coding of the videotaped simulations and assessment of team members’ hierarchy beliefs supported both hypotheses: nurses spoke up more following the ASAER than following the TGAER and both professional groups reported significantly higher levels of hierarchy-attenuating beliefs following the ASAER as compared to the TGAER. We discuss how AERs can affect upward voice and increase awareness for the potential downsides of status hierarchies in multi-professional teams.     

下属越轨创新对主管阻抑的影响——地位威胁感和权威主义取向的作用

主管阻抑作为一种相对隐蔽的负性领导行为,会潜移默化地削弱下属的绩效表现。有鉴于此,探索主管阻抑的发生机制,能够帮助我们更好地预防主管阻抑。本研究基于125份两时间点的上下级配对数据,探讨了下属越轨创新对主管阻抑的影响机理。结果表明:下属越轨创新会诱发主管阻抑,主管的地位威胁感在此过程中起部分中介作用;此外,主管权威主义取向对下属越轨创新与地位威胁感之间的正向关系具有显著的强化效应。     

The effects of receptive and expressive instructional sequences on varied conditional discriminations

Many Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) curricula recommend teaching receptive responding before targeting expressive responding (Leaf & McEachin, 1999; Lovaas, 2003). However, a small literature base suggests that teaching expressive responses first may be more efficient when teaching children with ASD and other developmental disabilities (Petursdottir & Carr, 2011). The present study employed an alternating treatments design to compare the effects of three instructional sequences to teach feature, function, and class to three children diagnosed with ASD: (a) receptive–expressive, (b) expressive–receptive, and (c) mixed. The results suggested that expressive–receptive was the most efficient training sequence for all three participants. Additionally, greater emergent responding was observed with the expressive–receptive training sequence.     

Complexity,Progress, and Hierarchy in Evolution

In this article I suggest a view of evolution characterized as a progressive process toward successively higher levels of complexity. In this approach, complexity is defined by means of an operational definition giving the possibility of its measurement by means of a procedure in which development has a crucial role. Furthermore, the concept of competition applied in the complexity space explains the cumulative emergence of new species as well as the presence of stagnant species. In this process, species are formed in a hierarchical order in which the human species is situated on the highest level. This view of evolution, thus also embracing human cultural evolution, is depicted in a diagram of complexity versus time, thus forming a new kind of a Tree of Life. The purpose of the suggested interpretation of evolution is to make it more readily acceptable for common people.     

Reduction of pairwise comparisons in decision making via a duality approach

Although pairwise comparisons have been seen by many as an effective and intuitive way for eliciting qualitative data for multi‐criteria decision making problems, a major drawback is that the number of the required comparisons increases quadratically with the number of the entities to be compared. Thus, often even data for medium size decision problems may be impractical to be elicited via pairwise comparisons. The more the comparisons are, the higher is the likelihood that the decision maker will introduce erroneous data. This paper introduces a dual formulation to a given multi‐criteria decision making problem, which can significantly alleviate the previous problems. Some theoretical results establish that this is possible when the number of alternatives is greater than the number of decision criteria plus one. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dominance structure in small groups of juvenile white-seabream (Diplodus sargus cadenati de la paz,Bauchot and Daget 1974)

Experiments were conducted to investigate the intraspecific aggressive interactions between juveniles of white-seabream (Diplodus sargus cadenati de la Paz, Bauchot and Daget 1974) in relation to dominance hierarchy in small groups. The agonistic interactions between juvenile white-seabream in small groups originated a peck-dominance hierarchy. The dominant (α-fish) generally interacted aggressively and most frequently with the subordinate that was next in line (β-fish) within the dominance hierarchy. This β-fish interacted aggressively more frequently with the γ-fish, and so on. Results demonstrated that fish do not attack subordinates at random. The level of subordination in small groups of juvenile white-seabream was related to body size. Generally, the more aggressive fish manifest a higher growth rate. Aggr. Behav. 24: 197–204, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

An Applied Study Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process to Translate Common Verbal Phrases to Numerical Probabilities

This is an applied study of how to develop a standardized set of useful verbal probability phrases for communication purposes within an expert community. The analysis extends the previous research in two ways. First, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used to assess the relative weights associated with the verbal phrases employed by a group of thirty financial strategy experts at a major Wall Street firm. Second, a quadratic least-squares technique is used to map these relative weights onto a subjective probability scale. The result was a consistent scaling of probabilistic phrases that the analysts prefer and actually use. This methodology can be used to minimize the problems associated with the use of probabilistic phrases by a group of experts who interact daily and who share assumptions, working knowledge and values. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the measurement of preferences in the analytic hierarchy process

In this paper we apply multiattribute value theory as a framework for examining the use of pairwise comparisons in the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). On one hand our analysis indicates that pairwise comparisons should be understood in terms of preference differences between pairs of alternatives. On the other hand it points out undesirable effects caused by the upper bound and the discretization of any given ratio scale. Both these observations apply equally well to the SMART procedure which also uses estimates of weight ratios. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the AHP can be modified so as to produce results similar to those of multiattribute value measurement; we also propose new balanced scales to improve the sensitivity of the AHP ratio scales. Finally we show that the so-called supermatrix technique does not eliminate the rank reversal phenomenon which can be attributed to the normalizations in the AHP. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.