Strength contributions from precipitates

A theory for the strength contribution from precipitates is developed based on the statistical particle-size and shape distributions and the corresponding obstacle strengths. The generic case of spherical precipitates and the special case of needle-shaped precipitates in the 6xxx aluminium alloy series are considered. It is accounted for that the largest precipitates are stronger and at the same time, intersect a larger number of slip planes than the smaller ones. For a considered peak aged AA6082, the improved model gives a 59% higher strength, which fits the experiments well without the need of previously introduced calibration parameter for the mean effective particle spacing in the slip plane.     

Perspectival Variance and Worldly Fragmentation

Objects often manifest themselves in incompatible ways across perspectives that are epistemically on a par. The standard response to such cases is to deny that the properties that things appear to have from different perspectives are properties that things really have out there. This type of response seems worrying: too many properties admit of perspectival variance and there are good theoretical reasons to think that such properties are genuinely instantiated. So, we have reason to explore views on which things can have the incompatible properties they appear to have across perspectives. This paper explores the view that things can have incompatible properties if the world is not a metaphysically unified place but is instead fragmented. There is a sensible notion of co-obtainment, on which two facts can each obtain without co-obtaining. Using this notion, we can step back from our embedded perspectives on the world without deeming the contents of those perspectives to be mere appearances. This renders the sheer pervasiveness of perspectival variance a serious pressure on the standard response, as well as a serious reason to think that the world is indeed fragmented.     

Measuring parental and family efficacy beliefs of adolescents' parents: Cross‐cultural comparisons in Italy and Portugal

The goal of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Perceived Parental Self‐Efficacy (PPSE) and Perceived Family Collective Efficacy (PFCE) revised scales in the Portuguese and Italian contexts. To this aim two studies were conducted: the first reported the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses with Portuguese samples, whereas the second addressed the cross‐cultural invariance of PPSE and PFCE (Portugal and Italy). Results of the first study showed the appropriate fit of the unifactorial model of both scales to Portuguese data. The invariance analyses performed in the second study attested to the PPSE and PFCE's configural, metric and scalar invariance in both countries. The correlations of PPSE and PFCE with communication, management of conflict and children's school achievement further attested to their construct and practical validity. Thus, PPSE and PFCE proved to be suitable to further use in research and psychological assessment fields.     

Development of a Swedish version of the adolescent coping orientation for problem experiences (A–Cope)

The objective was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Adolescent Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences (A-Cope) among Swedish adolescent girls. A sample of 590 13- and 15-year old girls participated. The original version of the A-Cope failed to demonstrate an adequate factor structure. A revised version was developed (A-Cope-S), consisting of 28 items forming 6 subscales with moderate to acceptable homogeneity. The findings suggest that the A-Cope-S is suitable for the study of coping among Swedish adolescent girls.     

Effects of a Motivational Inducement on the Psychometric Properties of a Cognitive Ability Test

College students are often used in the development stages of cognitive ability tests that are designed to be used in business settings. One criticism of this strategy is that there are important motivational differences between these two settings that may limit generalization from one setting to the other. Research has not investigated the degree to which motivational inducements may enhance the psychometric properties of the tests with this population. In the present study, a 162-item cognitive ability test was administered to 320 undergraduate students, 160 of whom were given experimental credit for their participation (control group) and 160 of whom were given experimental credit but were also told that the top 25% of scorers each would receive $20 (experimental group). Results of differential item functioning and confirmatory analytic analyses suggested that the cognitive ability test was essentially equivalent across the two groups. Implications for cognitive ability test development and future research are discussed.     

指导语形式、材料性质对解决四卡问题的影响

该文通过实验的方法,研究了指导语形式、材料性质对大学生解决四卡问题的影响。结果发现:(1)指导语形式影响大学生对四卡问题的解决,肯定式指导语有助于提高被试的成绩。(2)材料性质影响大学生对四卡问题的解决,具体材料相比抽象材料有促进效应。本实验表明,指导语形式和材料性质都能对大学生解决四卡问题产生影响,两者之间不存在交互作用。     

ON THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN REDUCTIVE AND NONREDUCTIVE PHYSICALISM

Abtract: This article argues that the debate between reductive and nonreductive physicalists is best characterized as a disagreement about which properties are natural. Among other things, natural properties are those that characterize the world completely. All physicalists accept the “completeness of physics,” but this claim contains a subtle ambiguity, which results in two conceptions of natural properties. Reductive physicalists should assert, while nonreductive physicalists should deny, that a single set of low‐level physical properties is natural in both of these senses. This way of drawing the distinction succeeds where previous approaches have failed and illuminates why the debate about reductionism is important.     

French validation of the 7-item Game Addiction Scale for adolescents

IntroductionThe Game Addiction Scale (GAS: Lemmens, Valkenburg, & Peter, 2008, 2009) is a short instrument (7-item) for evaluating video game playing by adolescents.ObjectiveThe aim of the current research was to investigate the psychometric properties of a French version of the 7-item Game Addiction Scale for adolescents.MethodTwo studies were conducted with two samples of French adolescents between the ages of 10 and 18 (study 1: n = 159; study 2: n = 306). First, we examined the factor structure and internal consistency. Second, we added a concurrent validity analysis with estimation of the daily time spent playing video games and an assessment of depression and anxiety.ResultsIn both studies, the factor analysis revealed a one-factor structure that had good psychometric properties and fit the data well. The analysis also confirmed good internal consistency of the scale. Correlation analysis in the second study showed that the GAS score had significant positive relationships with the time spent playing video games, depression, anxiety, and the fact of being a boy, thereby supporting the concurrent validity of the scale.ConclusionThis French version of the GAS seems to be a reliable tool for identifying and assessing problematic use of video games.     

Establishing Norms on the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory to Identify Disruptive Behaviors in Taiwanese Children

Abstract

Like other cultures, measures to accurately and sensitively assess and treat disruptive behaviors in Taiwanese children are necessary. This research provides normative and psychometric data (i.e., item-total correlations, split-half coefficients, internal consistency, and internal validity) on the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), including clinical cut-off scores, with a Taiwanese community sample. The results suggest that the ECBI may be helpful in screening for disruptive behaviors in Taiwanese children, which may allow for appropriate prevention and intervention efforts. Although results are comparable to other research, cultural differences do exist, thereby highlighting the importance of cultural considerations in assessing child behavior, irrespective of country of treatment.     

THE METAPHYSICS OF DOWNWARD CAUSATION: REDISCOVERING THE FORMAL CAUSE

The methodological nonreductionism of contemporary biology opens an interesting discussion on the level of ontology and the philosophy of nature. The theory of emergence (EM), and downward causation (DC) in particular, bring a new set of arguments challenging not only methodological, but also ontological and causal reductionism. This argumentation provides a crucial philosophical foundation for the science/theology dialogue. However, a closer examination shows that proponents of EM do not present a unified and consistent definition of DC. Moreover, they find it difficult to prove that higher‐order properties can be causally significant without violating the causal laws that operate at lower physical levels. They also face the problem of circularity and incoherence in their explanation. In our article we show that these problems can be overcome only if DC is understood in terms of formal rather than physical (efficient) causality. This breakdown of causal monism in science opens a way to the retrieval of the fourfold Aristotelian notion of causality.