MSA for a special spearman matrix

Kaiser's measure of sampling adequacy is applied to a special Spearman matrix and a specialq-cluster generalization. The result supports the contention that the measure should be no less than .5 for data to be appropriate for factor analysis.The research reported in this note was supported in part by the Program in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, National Science Foundation, and by the National Institute of Education, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.     

Call for new measures suitable for intensive longitudinal studies: Ideas and suggestions

The intensive longitudinal studies (ILS) has recently gained prominence as one of the most developing and promising approaches in psychological research. It is suitable for studying intraindividual dynamics, since it collects many repeated measurements for multiple persons. However many existing psychometric scales that are suitable for cross-sectional studies cannot be used successfully in ILS. That is why it would be advisable to develop them. This article presents potential solutions and future directions that may be helpful in developing such tools. It focuses on and discusses three issues: (1) appropriate tool length, so that the person completing them multiple times does not feel too tired; (2) parallel forms of questionnaires to reduce the problem of remembering previous answers; (3) complementary types of measure, that would allow approaching certain characteristics in slightly different ways.     

Boundaries for career success? How work–home integration and perceived supervisor expectation affect careers

The necessity to actively manage the work–home boundaries has drastically increased. We postulate that work–home integration may affect individuals' subjective career success via its positive effects on work goal attainment and exhaustion. Furthermore, we study perceived supervisor expectation for employee work–home integration as a boundary condition. Our three-wave online survey with 371 employees showed support for the two hypothesized moderated mediation effects. Work–home integration preference is indirectly related to subjective career success: (1) positively via home-to-work transitions and work goal attainment and (2) negatively via home-to-work transitions and exhaustion. Perceived supervisor expectation constrained work–home integration preference's direct effect on home-to-work transitions and indirect effects on subjective career success. Exploratory analysis revealed that exhaustion negatively affected all career success dimensions, whereas work goal attainment was only related to some. Our results indicate that supervisor expectation can override the effect of employee's work–home integration preference on home-to-work transitions which have a double-edged sword effect on subjective career success. Our study contributes to integrating the careers and work–life interface literature and incorporating contextual factors. Furthermore, with the exploration of differential effects on subjective career success, we advance our understanding of this outcome's nomological network.     

Smartphone use and daily cognitive failures: A critical examination using a daily diary approach with objective smartphone measures

While smartphones have brought many benefits and conveniences to users, there is continuing debate regarding their potential negative consequences on everyday cognition such as daily cognitive failures. A few cross-sectional studies have found positive associations between smartphone use and cognitive failures. However, several research gaps remain, such as the use of cross-sectional designs, confounds related to stable individual differences, the lack of validity in self-report measures of smartphone use, memory biases in retrospective self-reports, and the lack of differentiation between smartphone checking and smartphone screen time. To simultaneously address the aforementioned shortcomings, the current study examined the within-person associations between various objective indicators of smartphone use and daily cognitive failures using a 7-day daily diary study. Multilevel modelling revealed that smartphone checking, but not total smartphone screen time, predicted a greater occurrence of daily cognitive failures at the within-person level. Surprisingly, we also found negative within-person associations between smartphone screen time for social- and tools-related applications and daily cognitive failures, suggesting that some types of smartphone use may temporarily benefit one's cognitive functioning. This finding demonstrates the importance of studying the specific functions of smartphone use and their differential cognitive consequences, as well as highlights the complex relations between smartphone use and cognition.     

An exploratory investigation of the reliability and validity of the Independent-Interdependent Problem-Solving Style Scale

The Independent-Interdependent Problem-Solving Scale is based on Cross et al.'s conceptualisation of relational-interdependent self-construal. The IIPSS provides a relatively context-free measure of people's tendencies to solve problems independently or with the help of others. Because previous investigations have not provided extensive evidence for the reliability and validity of the IIPSS, the current research aimed to test the psychometric properties of this novel measure. Investigations of four student samples (combined N = 1157) and one sample comprised of academic researchers (N = 198) generally supported the reliability and validity of the IIPSS. Exploratory factor analysis of IIPSS items yielded a single factor structure. However, confirmatory factor analyses did not demonstrate good model fit for the one factor solution and instead yielded good model fit for two underlying factors. The IIPSS showed adequate test–retest reliability and predicted positive associations with social personality traits. It also showed no significant associations with measures of demand characteristics and social desirability. Future research needs to be undertaken to further assess the factor structure and address shortcomings of the present research such as utilising objective data in addition to self-reports to assess the scale's validity.     

体育锻炼对大学生主观幸福感的影响:人际关系困扰和自尊的中介作用

为考察影响体育锻炼与主观幸福感关系的内在机制,该研究采用体育锻炼量表、自尊量表、人际关系综合诊断量表以及Campbell主观幸福感指数量表对521名高校大学生进行调查.结果显示:(1)人际关系困扰与体育锻炼、自尊及主观幸福感呈显著负相关,体育锻炼、自尊、主观幸福感两两之间均呈显著正相关;(2)人际关系困扰和自尊在体育锻...     

Stepwise variable selection in factor analysis

It is very important to choose appropriate variables to be analyzed in multivariate analysis when there are many observed variables such as those in a questionnaire. What is actually done in scale construction with factor analysis is nothing but variable selection.In this paper, we take several goodness-of-fit statistics as measures of variable selection and develop backward elimination and forward selection procedures in exploratory factor analysis. Once factor analysis is done for a certain numberp of observed variables (thep-variable model is labeled the current model), simple formulas for predicted fit measures such as chi-square, GFI, CFI, IFI and RMSEA, developed in the field of the structural equation modeling, are provided for all models obtained by adding an external variable (so that the number of variables isp + 1) and for those by deleting an internal variable (so that the number isp – 1), provided that the number of factors is held constant.A programSEFA (Stepwise variable selection in Exploratory Factor Analysis) is developed to actually obtain a list of the fit measures for all such models. The list is very useful in determining which variable should be dropped from the current model to improve the fit of the current model. It is also useful in finding a suitable variable that may be added to the current model. A model with more appropriate variables makes more stable inference in general.The criteria traditionally often used for variable selection is magnitude of communalities. This criteria gives a different choice of variables and does not improve fit of the model in most cases.The URL of the programSEFA is http://koko15.hus.osaka-u.ac.jp/~harada/factor/stepwise/.     

Should we pass on minimum passing distance laws for cyclists? Comparing a tactical enforcement option and minimum passing distance laws using signal detection theory

Legislation mandating minimum distances for motorists passing cyclists is seen by advocates as a straightforward way to increase the perceived safety of cycling and thus remove a prominent barrier to the uptake of cycling. The evidence, however, is not as clear. The alternative to compliance-based enforcement via Minimum Passing Distance Laws (MPDLs) is performance-based enforcement as recently highlighted by UK Police forces under the name ‘Operation Close Pass’. This existing legislation and enforcement method relies on police officer judgement and discretion. For a MPDL to be introduced it has to show an improvement by identifying more manoeuvres that make cyclists feel unsafe, whilst at the same time not penalising drivers for manoeuvres that are benign. This study uses Signal Detection Theory to show that on almost every measure the current performance-based enforcement is preferable. Officer discretion is aligned more closely to cyclists’ real-world perceptions of risk than an objective, compliance-based MPDL. Any level of enforcement harshness can be achieved equally well, if not better, through officer discretion than through a fixed passing distance law, with the former being significantly easier to adjust if needed. Further discussion about the unintended effects of passing distance laws is discussed, such as the risk of a net loss to the effectiveness of cyclist safety because it is more difficult to prosecute and enforce manoeuvres which make cyclists feel unsafe than the performance-based alternative.     

Quality of Life and Sense of Coherence in People with Arthritis

This study investigated the physical and psychological impact of arthritis on people's quality of life. A range of variables were examined in a sample of 375 participants who comprised three groups: people with arthritis receiving a support-based service from the Arthritis Foundation of Victoria, people with arthritis receiving standard treatment, and a group of people from the general population. The results revealed that the two arthritis groups reported a significantly higher level of functional impairment, pain, and negative affectivity, and lowered mood, positive affect, and Sense of Coherence, compared to the general population group. They also reported normal levels of importance, but lower levels of satisfaction on various life domains. After statistically controlling for pain however, group differences were eliminated on all variables except for functional impairment and for all satisfaction domains except health. These data are interpreted as evidence that the combination of low domain satisfaction coupled with high domain importance yields a negative psychological state. This, then suggests the possibility of a therapy based on reducing the perceived importance of health.