Testing primary‐school children's understanding of the nature of science

Understanding the nature of science (NOS) is a critical aspect of scientific reasoning, yet few studies have investigated its developmental beginnings and initial structure. One contributing reason is the lack of an adequate instrument. Two studies assessed NOS understanding among third graders using a multiple‐select (MS) paper‐and‐pencil test. Study 1 investigated the validity of the MS test by presenting the items to 68 third graders (9‐year‐olds) and subsequently interviewing them on their underlying NOS conception of the items. All items were significantly related between formats, indicating that the test was valid. Study 2 applied the same instrument to a larger sample of 243 third graders, and their performance was compared to a multiple‐choice (MC) version of the test. Although the MC format inflated the guessing probability, there was a significant relation between the two formats. In summary, the MS format was a valid method revealing third graders' NOS understanding, thereby representing an economical test instrument. A latent class analysis identified three groups of children with expertise in qualitatively different aspects of NOS, suggesting that there is not a single common starting point for the development of NOS understanding; instead, multiple developmental pathways may exist.     

Crossed categorization outside the lab: Findings from a factorial survey experiment

Crossed categorization studies investigate intergroup attitudes in situations when two categorization dimensions are simultaneously salient, often looking at artificial groups in laboratory settings. The current study tests (a) patterns of evaluation in crossed categorization scenarios when more than two real-life categorization dimensions are crossed, and (b) the moderating role of identity importance. We conduct a factorial survey experiment with a diverse sample (N = 524), crossing eight categorization dimensions. The results provide strong support for the additive pattern of crossed categorization, challenging the view that with an increased number of categories category-based information processing will not be used. Identity importance predicts the strength of intergroup bias only on the dimension of religion, which was the dominant dimension in this sample. The study contributes to multiple and crossed categorization literature by testing some of its key assumptions using a design that increases the ecological validity of the findings.     

Rough approximation of pairwise comparisons described by multi‐attribute stochastic dominance

Given a finite set A of actions evaluated by a set of attributes, preferential information is considered in the form of a pairwise comparison table including pairs of actions from subset B⊂A described by stochastic dominance relations on particular attributes and a total order on the decision attribute. Using a rough sets approach for the analysis of the subset of preference relations, a set of decision rules is obtained, and these are applied to a set A\B of potential actions. The rough sets approach of looking for the reduction of the set of attributes gives us the possibility of operating on a multi‐attribute stochastic dominance for a reduced number of attributes. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Passive and Active Compensability Multicriteria ANnalysis (PACMAN)

Determining intercriteria relations is an important issue in MCDA. In order to handle this problem, this paper presents a new approach to the concept of compensation in multicriteria analysis, named PACMAN (Passive and Active Compensability Multicriteria ANalysis). The notion of compensability introduced here is decision maker oriented, relying only on information provided by him. In PACMAN compensability is analysed by taking into consideration two criteria at a time and distinguishing the compensating criterion from the compensated one. Separating active and passive effects of compensation allows one to point out a possible asymmetry of the notion of compensability. A valued binary relation of compensated preference is introduced. Compensated preference can be used for a modelization of the preference structure. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling risk and uncertainty with the analytic hierarchy process

This paper proposes methods for modelling risk and uncertainty with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). We start by showing why benefit/risk ratios, as described in previous literature, might be an improper modelling approach. We then introduce prototypical case studies where risk plays a role in multicriteria decision making. These cases demonstrate how the AHP can be used to derive relative probabilities, multiple criteria outcome measures, risk criteria, and risk adjustment factors. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Predicting the biological variability of environmental rhythms: Weak or strong anticipation for sensorimotor synchronization?

The internal processes involved in synchronizing our movements with environmental stimuli have traditionally been addressed using regular metronomic sequences. Regarding real-life environments, however, biological rhythms are known to have intrinsic variability, ubiquitously characterized as fractal long-range correlations. In our research we thus investigate to what extent the synchronization processes drawn from regular metronome paradigms can be generalized to other (biologically) variable rhythms. Participants performed synchronized finger tapping under five conditions of long-range and/or short-range correlated, randomly variable, and regular auditory sequences. Combining experimental data analysis and numerical simulation, we found that synchronizing with biologically variable rhythms involves the same internal processes as with other variable rhythms (whether totally random or comprising lawful regularities), but different from those involved with a regular metronome. This challenges both the generalizability of conclusions drawn from regular-metronome paradigms, and recent research assuming that biologically variable rhythms may trigger specific strong anticipatory processes to achieve synchronization.     

The relation between goal adjustment,goal disturbance,and mental well-being among persons with multiple sclerosis

Objective: This study investigated the role of goal adjustment, i.e. disengaging from blocked goals and reengaging into alternative goals, in mental well-being and goal disturbance in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Design: A cross-sectional design was used with self-report data from questionnaires and Personal Project Analysis (PPA).

Main outcome measures: Dependent variables were mental well-being, indicated by depression/anxiety (HADS; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and mental functioning (SF-36; Short Form Health Survey), and goal disturbance, indicated by goal manageability and goal interference (PPA). Independent variables were patient-reported physical impairment (SF-36) and goal disengagement and reengagement (GAS; Goal Adjustment Scale).

Results: Higher goal reengagement was associated with better mental well-being, but unrelated to goal disturbance. Goal disengagement only showed a negative association with anxiety. High disengagement was associated with lower goal interference but only for those also scoring high on reengagement. Goal adjustment did not buffer the effects of physical impairment on mental well-being and goal disturbance. Contrary to expectations, higher goal reengagement increased the association between physical impairment and goal interference.

Conclusion: Although goal reengagement is associated with better mental well-being in persons with MS, it might also strengthen the perceived effect of physical impairment on goal interference.     

Multiple objective programming with piecewise linear functions

An approach to generating all efficient solutions for multiple objective programs with piecewise linear objective functions and linear constraints is presented. The approach is based on the decomposition of the feasible set into subsets, referred to as cells, so that the original problem reduces to a series of single objective linear programs and feasibility tests over the cells. The concepts of cell-efficiency and complex-efficiency are introduced and their relationship with efficiency is examined. A generic algorithm for finding efficient solutions for bi-objective piecewise linear programs is proposed. Applications in location theory as well as in worst case analysis are highlighted. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.