Nesselroade and Molenaar's Measurement Concerns and Proposals: An Introduction

In this special section Nesselroade and Molenaar (N & M) propose a provocative new approach to measurement invariance. When measures are collected repeatedly over time (e.g., daily diary studies), a potentially unique measurement model relating the items to the underlying construct can be created for each individual. If hypothesized causal paths specified between constructs (e.g., frustration → aggression) can be constrained to be equal across the individuals, a model with idiographic measurement of the constructs, but with nomothetic structural relationships can be specified. Three commentaries react to N & M's proposal. Revelle and Wilt challenge the priority given by N & M to unique individual measurement structures, arguing that between subjects differences in structural relationships are empirically important and meaningful. Markus's uses David Hume's framework to raise philosophy of science challenges for N & M's approach. Maydeu-Olivares challenges the incremental validity of N & M's approach, arguing that N & M's approach is unlikely to improve the prediction of between subjects criteria. Finally, N & M present a rejoinder to the three commentaries.     

Quantification of human confidence in functional relations

What makes people infer that two continuous-valued entities are functionally related? Involving factors influencing human confidence in the existence of a functional link between two supposed variables has not so far been discussed in function learning literature. By examining this problem and based on relevant results from cognitive psychology, I propose a hypothesis according to which human confidence in a link between cue and criterion is affected by three factors: The difficulty of functions, the level of noise in observed data, and the sample size. Here, the formalization of this hypothesis forms a novel mathematical model of function learning which can also be used for predictions; so the resulting model receives cue-criterion pairs of a supposed relation and produces two outputs: Confidence and predicting function. In an experiment, the performance of a computational implementation of the model is compared with human data. The results show that the model is successful in tracking changes in human confidence. A close correspondence between the predictions of the model and humans was also achieved.     

Cross‐cultural Generalizability of the Alternative Five‐factor Model Using the Zuckerman–Kuhlman–Aluja Personality Questionnaire

Several personality models are known for being replicable across cultures, such as the Five‐Factor Model (FFM) or Eysenck's Psychoticism–Extraversion–Neuroticism (PEN) model, and are for this reason considered universal. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the cross‐cultural replicability of the recently revised Alternative FFM (AFFM). A total of 15 048 participants from 23 cultures completed the Zuckerman–Kuhlman–Aluja Personality Questionnaire (ZKA‐PQ) aimed at assessing personality according to this revised AFFM. Internal consistencies, gender differences and correlations with age were similar across cultures for all five factors and facet scales. The AFFM structure was very similar across samples and can be considered as highly replicable with total congruence coefficients ranging from .94 to .99. Measurement invariance across cultures was assessed using multi‐group confirmatory factor analyses, and each higher‐order personality factor did reach configural and metric invariance. Scalar invariance was never reached, which implies that culture‐specific norms should be considered. The underlying structure of the ZKA‐PQ replicates well across cultures, suggesting that this questionnaire can be used in a large diversity of cultures and that the AFFM might be as universal as the FFM or the PEN model. This suggests that more research is needed to identify and define an integrative framework underlying these personality models. Copyright © 2016 European Association of Personality Psychology     

Comparing OECD PISA Reading in English to Other Languages: Identifying Potential Sources of Non-Invariance

The use of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) across nations, cultures, and languages has been criticized. The key criticisms point to the linguistic and cultural biases potentially underlying the design of reading comprehension tests, raising doubts about the legitimacy of comparisons across economies. Our research focused on the type and magnitude of invariance or non-invariance in the PISA Reading Comprehension test by language, culture, and economic development relative to performance of the Australian English-speaking reference group used to develop the tests. Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis based on means and covariance structure (MACS) modeling was used to establish a d_MACS effect size index for each economy for the degree of non-invariance. Only three wealthy, English-speaking countries had scalar invariance with Australia. Moderate or large effects were observed in just 31% of the comparisons. PISA index of economic, social and cultural status had a moderate inverse correlation with dMACS suggesting that socioeconomic resourcing of education played a significant role in measurement invariance, while educational practice and language factors seemed to play a further small role in non-invariance. Alternative approaches to reporting PISA results consistent with non-invariance are suggested.     

Negation in context: Evidence from the visual world paradigm

Literature assumes that negation is more difficult to understand than affirmation, but this might depend on the pragmatic context. The goal of this paper is to show that pragmatic knowledge modulates the unfolding processing of negation due to the previous activation of the negated situation. To test this, we used the visual world paradigm. In this task, we presented affirmative (e.g., her dad was rich) and negative sentences (e.g., her dad was not poor) while viewing two images of the affirmed and denied entities. The critical sentence in each item was preceded by one of three types of contexts: an inconsistent context (e.g., She supposed that her dad had little savings) that activates the negated situation (a poor man), a consistent context (e.g., She supposed that her dad had enough savings) that activates the actual situation (a rich man), or a neutral context (e.g., her dad lived on the other side of town) that activates neither of the two models previously suggested. The results corroborated our hypothesis. Pragmatics is implicated in the unfolding processing of negation. We found an increase in fixations on the target compared to the baseline for negative sentences at 800?ms in the neutral context, 600?ms in the inconsistent context, and 1450?ms in the consistent context. Thus, when the negated situation has been previously introduced via an inconsistent context, negation is facilitated.     

Construct validity and construct equivalence of work values across boys and girls

This study investigated the structural validity and construct comparability, across boys and girls, of a newly developed measure of work values. The total sample was split into two equal parts, and based on an item-level factor analysis of the first sub-sample, fit statistics provided support for a six-factor first-order structural model with the following constructs: Power, Money, Tidy environment, Teamwork, Work–Family Balance and Ability Utilization. This structure was confirmed in the second sub-sample, and strict measurement invariance for the measurement model was obtained in this sample. Additionally, the factor variances/covariances were invariant. Five non-invariant latent means were found, with girls scoring higher on the Balance and Personal Challenge values, and boys scoring higher on the Power, Money and Teamwork values.     

Is modesty a subdomain of humility?

Although many scholars have sharply distinguished humility from modesty, several research teams recently conceptualized modesty as a subdomain of humility. In the present study, we compare these competing conceptualizations using confirmatory factor analyses. In Study 1, a model with general humility (i.e. second-order factor) predicting the subscales of the Relational Humility Scale (RHS) and the Modesty facet of the HEXACO-PI showed adequate fit; and modesty showed one of the stronger factor loadings on the higher order factor. In Study 2, we used a set of items designed to sharpen the potential distinction between modesty (i.e. interpersonal behavior involving moderating attention to self) and humility. Then, we tested a model with a general humility factor (i.e. second-order factor) predicting subscales of the RHS and modesty items. Once again, modesty items loaded strongly on the higher order factor.     

大学生网络依赖测量工具的修订与应用

以北京五所高校大学生为样本,修订了中文网络成瘾量表(CIAS-R),并在此基础上界定出正常群体,网络依赖群体与网络成瘾群体的划分标准.三类群体在网络休闲占课余时间百分比、强迫症状及人际关系敏感得分上均有显著差异.     

基于遗传算法的模糊综合评价在心理测量中的应用

提出了运用模糊数学对利克特量表数据进行分析的方法, 探讨了人们在进行模糊综合评价时, 所采用的算子和对各个自变量的权重分配, 并且运用遗传算法(GA)来确定相关的权重。以大学生对康师傅红烧牛肉面的评价数据为例, 运用基于遗传算法的模糊综合评价方法, 发现男生采用了“最大最小”合成算子, 女生采用了“有界和、取小”合成算子。研究结果表明, 基于遗传算法的模糊综合评价方法可以对利克特量表的心理测量数据进行有效的分析。