A model statement does not enhance the verifiability approach

The present experiment investigated to what extent providing participants with a model statement influences the ability of the verifiability approach to detect deception. Participants gave a true and false statement about a negative autobiographical event, with half of the participants receiving a detailed model statement just before giving their statement. We expected false statements to include more nonverifiable and less verifiable details than true statements and that providing a model statement would increase these differences. False statements indeed included more nonverifiable details than truthful statements but did not differ in the number of verifiable details. True statements included a higher ratio of verifiable details. The model statement encouraged participants to give a longer and more detailed statement. However, it prompted participants to increase the number of included verifiable—and not nonverifiable—details, regardless of veracity. Using a model statement did not influence the discriminability of the verifiability approach.     

Eliciting information and cues to deception using a model statement: Examining the effect of presentation modality

Forensic interviewing involves gathering information from a suspect or eyewitness. Administering a model statement during an interview results in greater information elicitation, which can enhance lie detection. Typically, a model statement is a highly detailed statement, on an unrelated topic to that of the interview. This study examined the effect of manipulating the modality of the MS, either by allowing participants to listen to (Audio‐MS), or read (Written‐MS) a model statement. A total of 162 (81 truth tellers, 81 liars) participants were randomly allocated to one of three interviewing conditions where they received either the Audio‐MS, Written‐MS, or No‐MS (control condition). Truth tellers honestly reported a “spy” mission, whereas liars performed a covert mission and lied about their activities. Results showed both model statements were equally more effective at eliciting information and facilitating lie detection, compared with a control condition. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Percentile Norms and Accompanying Interval Estimates from an Australian General Adult Population Sample for Self‐Report Mood Scales (BAI,BDI, CRSD,CES‐D,DASS, DASS‐21, STAI‐X,STAI‐Y,SRDS, and SRAS)

Despite their widespread use, many self‐report mood scales have very limited normative data. To rectify this, Crawford et al. have recently provided percentile norms for a series of self‐report scales. The present study aimed to extend the work of Crawford et al. by providing percentile norms for additional mood scales based on samples drawn from the general Australian adult population. Participants completed a series of self‐report mood scales. The resultant normative data were incorporated into a computer programme that provides point and interval estimates of the percentile ranks corresponding to raw scores for each of the scales. The programme can be used to obtain point and interval estimates of the percentile ranks of an individual's raw scores on the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Carroll Rating Scale for Depression, the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Rating Scale for Depression, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS), the short‐form version of the DASS (DASS‐21), the Self‐rating Scale for Anxiety, the Self‐rating Scale for Depression, the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), form X, and the STAI, form Y, based on normative sample sizes ranging from 497 to 769. The interval estimates can be obtained using either classical or Bayesian methods as preferred. The programme (which can be downloaded at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/~psy086/dept/MoodScore_Aus.htm ) provides a convenient and reliable means of obtaining the percentile ranks of individuals' raw scores on self‐report mood scales.     

Chinese children's evaluations of white lies: weighing the consequences for recipients

This research examined how Chinese children make moral judgments about lie telling and truth telling when facing a “white lie” or “politeness” dilemma in which telling a blunt truth is likely to hurt the feelings of another. We examined the possibility that the judgments of participants (7-11 years of age, N = 240) would differ as a function of the social context in which communication takes place. The expected social consequences were manipulated systematically in two studies. In Study 1, participants rated truth telling more negatively and rated lie telling more positively in a public situation where telling a blunt truth is especially likely to have negative social consequences. In Study 2, participants rated truth telling more positively and rated lie telling more negatively in a situation where accurate information is likely to be helpful for the recipient to achieve future success. Both studies showed that with increased age, children’s evaluations became significantly influenced by the social context, with the strongest effects being seen among the 11-year-olds. These results suggest that Chinese children learn to take anticipated social consequences into account when making moral judgments about the appropriateness of telling a blunt truth versus lying to protect the feelings of another.     

A gauss-newton algorithm for exploratory factor analysis

It is shown that the scoring algorithm for maximum likelihood estimation in exploratory factor analysis can be developed in a way that is many times more efficient than a direct development based on information matrices and score vectors. The algorithm offers a simple alternative to current algorithms and when used in one-step mode provides the simplest and fastest method presently available for moving from consistent to efficient estimates. Perhaps of greater importance is its potential for extension to the confirmatory model. The algorithm is developed as a Gauss-Newton algorithm to facilitate its application to generalized least squares and to maximum likelihood estimation.This research was supported by NSF Grant MCS-8301587.     

Sufficient statistics and latent trait models

For questionnaires with two answer categories, it has been proven in complete generality that if a minimal sufficient statistic exists for the individual parameter and if it is the same statistic for all values of the item parameters, then the raw score (or the number of correct answers) is the minimal sufficient statistic. It follows that the model must by of the Rasch type with logistic item characteristic curves and equal item-discriminating powers.This paper extends these results to multiple choice questionnaires. It is shown that the minimal sufficient statistic for the individual parameter is a function of the so-called score vector. It is also shown that the so-called equidistant scoring is the only scoring of a questionnaire that allows for a real valued sufficient statistic that is independent of the item parameters, if a certain ordering property for the sufficient statistic holds.     

Generalized bilinear models

Generalized bilinear models are presented for the statistical analysis of two-way arrays. These models combine bilinear models and generalized linear modeling, and yield a family of models that includes many existing models, as well as suggest other potentially useful ones. This approach both unifies and extends models for two-way arrays, including the ability to treat response and explanatory variables differently in the models, and the incorporation of external information about the variables directly into the analysis. A unifying framework for the generalized bilinear models is provided by considering four particular cases which have been proposed and used in the existing statistical literature. A three-step procedure is proposed to analyze data sets by generalized bilinear models. Two data sets of different nature are analyzed.     

警惕啊!基因决定论

基因已经成为２０世纪遗传学中的一个关键词基因决定论也正在走近我们的生活本文从遗传学的角度阐述了基因决定论的种种不当之处,并且指出基因的作用与人类的生活方式密切相关,而人类的全部文明史就在于克服单纯的基因决定论所带来的局限。     

概化理论在作文评分中的应用研究

概化理论是现代心理测量理论之一,该文简要地介绍了该理论的基本思想并用此理论对作文评分的误差控制问题进行了应用性探讨。研究中请６位评分员对２０名学生每人三种文体的作文用分项评分法进行评定。然后用ＧＥＮＯＶＡ软件的估计了作文评分中的评分员效应和题目效应,并对各种误差构成进行了分析比较。结果表明：在作文评分中,评分员勺最大,题目效应不明显。同时还发现,不同文体对评分误差有重要影响。论文文的评分误差最大,     

情绪线索对儿童定义与评价“白谎”的影响

本研究运用图画—故事法探讨了交往意图不明确条件下 ,“听话者情绪反应”这一社会性行为结果对 5、7、9岁儿童定义和评价白谎的影响作用。结果表明 ,所有儿童能准确评定“听话者情绪反应”,内容分析发现 7、9岁儿童能运用“听话者情绪反应”信息 ,但情绪反应线索却未影响儿童对“白谎”的定义与道德评价。