Preliminary Steps in the Development of a Screening Instrument To Assess Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

The authors demonstrate the complexities and processes involved in constructing a screening test for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Discussion includes item development, field testing, and preliminary results.     

SCALING PERFORMANCE UTILITY TO ENHANCE SELECTION/CLASSIFICATION DECISIONS

For purposes of selection and classification there are two general reasons for scaling the mean and variance of the utility of performance across jobs. First, if differential utility across jobs does exist, then the payoff from a selection and classification system will be enhanced to the extent that accurate utility values are incorporated in the assignment system. Second, a valid utility metric would permit a more meaningful comparison of the gains achieved by alternative selection and classification procedures. It is argued in this paper that the Army context, and perhaps others, precludes using the dollar metric and estimates of SD_y in dollars. Consequently, Project A conducted a relatively long series of exploratory workshops with Army personnel to (a) define the utility issue, (b) pilot test a wide variety of possible scaling methods, and (c) evaluate the methods that seemed most appropriate. On the basis of exploratory analysis, a combined procedure incorporating both an interval estimation and a ratio estimation method was used to estimate the utility of five different performance levels for each of 276 jobs (MOS) in the enlisted personnel system. The psychometric properties of the resulting scale values are analyzed and discussed.     

TRIANGULATING JOB ATTITUDES WITH INTERPRETIVE AND POSITIVIST MEASUREMENT METHODS

Interpretive research methods were used to gather and interpret employees'unstructured, written expressions of satisfying and dissatisfying job experiences. Clinical judgments were made of the categories of meaning and the overall affect expressed in the written passages. The judgments and interpretations then were correlated with both traditional, positivist, self-report satisfaction scales and objective measures of work behavior. It was found that the language employees used to describe their job experiences converged significantly with the structured satisfaction measures and work behaviors. The results provide evidence for the construct validity of some traditional methods for assessing job satisfaction. Strengths and weaknesses of interpretive and positivist approaches to job satisfaction measurement are discussed.     

INTELLECTUAL VIRTUE AND THE JUSTIFICATION OF PERSONS

In this paper, I develop a model of personal justification that is rooted in the intellectual virtues and the concept of epistemic praise. In particular, I show how a character‐based understanding of the virtues gives rise to an important emphasis on agents and how this provides the resources for dealing with several problems in epistemology.     

Giving dyadic data analysis away: A user‐friendly app for actor–partner interdependence models

The actor–partner interdependence model (APIM) is widely used for analyzing dyadic data. Although dyadic research has become immensely popular, its statistical complexity can be a barrier. To remedy this, a free user‐friendly web application, called APIM_SEM, has been developed. This app automatically performs the statistical analyses (i.e., structural equation modeling) of both simple and complex APIMs. It allows the researcher to analyze distinguishable or indistinguishable dyads, to examine dyadic patterns, to estimate actor and partner effects of one or two predictors, and to control for covariates. Results are provided in software and text format, complemented by summary tables and figures. As an illustration, the effect of perception of the partner on satisfaction is assessed by fitting APIMs with varying complexity.