Compromised item detection: A Bayesian change-point perspective

Psychometric methods for accurate and timely detection of item compromise have been a long-standing topic. While Bayesian methods can incorporate prior knowledge or expert inputs as additional information for item compromise detection, they have not been employed in item compromise detection itself. The current study proposes a two-phase Bayesian change-point framework for both stationary and real-time detection of changes in each item's compromise status. In Phase I, a stationary Bayesian change-point model for compromise detection is fitted to the observed responses over a specified time-frame. The model produces parameter estimates for the change-point of each item from uncompromised to compromised, as well as structural parameters accounting for the post-change response distribution. Using the post-change model identified in Phase I, the Shiryaev procedure for sequential testing is employed in Phase II for real-time monitoring of item compromise. The proposed methods are evaluated in terms of parameter recovery, detection accuracy, and detection efficiency under various simulation conditions and in a real data example. The proposed method also showed superior detection accuracy and efficiency compared to the cumulative sum procedure.     

社会认知具有更强的内隐性──兼论内隐和外显的“钢筋水泥”关系

采用Ｊａｃｏｂｙ的加工分离程序,对记忆测验中图片的社会性特征与非社会性特征的外显记忆现人隐记忆贡献进行分离,考察了对社会性信息的加工中内隐记忆的贡献是强于对非社会性信息加工的内隐记忆贡献,还是相反。结果表明：对社会性信息的加工中内隐记忆的贡献强于对非社会性信息加工的内隐记忆贡献。另外在本实验研究结果的启发下,提出了内隐和外显记忆的“钢筋水泥”结构性模型的假设。     

The momentum of compliance

Compliance with demanding requests that are normally ineffective may be increased by presenting a series of easy or high-probability (high-p) requests before the more demanding requests. Mace and his colleagues have discussed the effectiveness of the high-p procedure in relation to behavioral momentum—the tendency for behavior, once initiated and reinforced, to persist in the face of a challenge. The high-p procedure differs in several ways from that employed in laboratory research on momentum, and the methods and findings of basic research may not be relevant to applied work on compliance. This article reviews some laboratory procedures used in research on behavioral momentum, summarizes the major findings of that research, and discusses its relevance to the high-p procedure and its outcomes. Increased compliance with demanding requests following the high-p procedure can be understood in relation to the procedures and findings of basic research, but some questions arise in the process of translating research into application via the metaphor of momentum. These questions suggest some new directions for both experimental and applied behavior analysis.     

Reinforcement of probe responses and acquisition of stimulus control in fading procedures

Stimulus control of pigeons' key pecking was transferred from colors to lines by the method of stimulus fading. Fading was conducted with the addition of probes consisting of the line stimuli presented alone at each fading level. Probe responding was used to measure stimulus-control acquisition by the lines. Effects of reinforcement and nonreinforcement of probe responding upon acquisition of stimulus control were assessed using a single-organism repeated-acquisition design in which three fades were conducted serially. Probe responding was not reinforced in the first and third fade but was in the second. Reinforcement of probe responding substantially reduced the number of fading levels needed to complete fading. The outcome of a control experiment ruled out the possibility of accounting for these results in terms of the specific stimuli used in each fade or in terms of the sequential exposure to the three discriminations. Although probes permitted measurement of stimulus-control acquisition in fading, a measurement/acquisition interaction was also present.     

MOVEMENT SUPPRESSION TIME-OUT FOR UNDESIRABLE BEHAVIOR IN PSYCHOTIC AND SEVERELY DEVELOP MENTALLY DELAYED CHILDREN

The effects of a movement suppression time-out, which involved punishing any movement or verbalization while a client is in the time-out area, were evaluated in four experiments. The first experiment examined the effects of a DRO procedure and movement suppression plus DRO in suppressing self-injurious behavior in a psychotic child in three different situations. In Experiment 2, the results of the previous experiment were replicated with two dangerous behaviors in a second psychotic child. In a third experiment, movement suppression plus DRO was compared with contingent restraint in reducing inappropriate poking behavior in two settings. The movement suppression procedure eliminated poking whereas contingent restraint had little effect. In the final experiment, movement suppression time-out alone was compared with exclusionary time-out alone and simple corner time-out alone. Self-stimulation occurred at high levels during the exclusionary and simple corner time-out procedures. Self-stimulation was either suppressed or reduced during movement suppression time-out. The movement suppression time-out procedure produced a larger reduction in the target behavior in all three children. The effectiveness of the movement suppression procedure was explained in terms of the suppression of self-stimulation while the time-out procedure was being applied.     

序列学习是否是内隐学习？

序列学习是继人工语法之后内隐学习的另一研究范式。以往观点认为,在练习后,被试对规则刺激和随机刺激在反应时上出现差异,就表明被试是内隐学习,这种差异量就是内隐学习量。但现在很多学者对序列学习是否内隐这一问题提出了疑问;运用新方法（过程分离法,简称PDP）的研究发现,序列学习是否内隐同反应-刺激间隔（RSI）有关,当RSI = 0时,序列学习才是内隐的;根据RSI提出了神经网络模型。     

工作记忆广度与汉语句子语境效应的关系

采用计算机快速系列视觉呈现技术,以反应时为指标,利用命名法,从工作记忆容量个体差异的角度,探讨汉语句子阅读中的语境效应。本研究将句子的语境效应分为两个来源：一个是自动激活扩散的词汇之间的语义启动,另一个是相互作用的句子水平的主题启动。结果表明：词汇间的语义启动不受工作记忆容量的影响,并且不易受到无关记忆任务的干扰。句子水平的主题启动会受到工作记忆容量的影响：工作记忆广度较高的读者能出现主题水平的语境效应,但是在无关记忆任务的干扰下,句子主题水平的语境效应消失;低广度的读者在无外部记忆负荷和有外部记忆负荷两种条件下都没有出现主题水平的语境效应。工作记忆容量对那些需要较多认知资源的加工过程产生显著的影响,实验结果符合工作记忆容量限制理论     

Examining the utility of the stimulus pairing observation procedure with preschool children learning a second language

We evaluated the effectiveness of a stimulus pairing observation procedure to facilitate tact and listener relations in preschool children learning a second language. This procedure resulted in the establishment of most listener relations as well as some tact relations. Multiple-exemplar training resulted in the establishment of most of the remaining relations. The implications for the use of these procedures to establish simple vocabulary skills in children are discussed.     

The effects of exergaming on physical activity in a third-grade physical education class

We compared the effects of exergaming and traditional physical education on physical activity among 4 active children who were not overweight and who had experience with the exergaming activities prior to the study. Results showed that exergaming produced substantially higher percentages of physical activity and opportunity to engage in physical activity. In addition, an evaluation of the exergaming equipment showed that exergaming stations were associated with differential levels of physical activity across participants.