A revision of the definition of lying as an untruth told with intent to deceive

The traditional and prevailing definition of lying is that lying is some variation or combination of: an untruth told with intent to deceive. I establish that this is the case, and that, as a result, contradictions and injustices arise. An alternative definition is proposed which is shown to avoid these difficulties. It is also shown that and how on the new definition the alleged Liar paradox is easily dissolved.     

Estimation for structural equation models with missing data

A direct method in handling incomplete data in general covariance structural models is investigated. Asymptotic statistical properties of the generalized least squares method are developed. It is shown that this approach has very close relationships with the maximum likelihood approach. Iterative procedures for obtaining the generalized least squares estimates, the maximum likelihood estimates, as well as their standard error estimates are derived. Computer programs for the confirmatory factor analysis model are implemented. A longitudinal type data set is used as an example to illustrate the results.This research was supported in part by Research Grant DAD1070 from the U.S. Public Health Service. The author is indebted to anonymous reviewers for some very valuable suggestions. Computer funding is provided by the Computer Services Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.     

Penalized optimal scaling for ordinal variables with an application to international classification of functioning core sets

Ordinal data occur frequently in the social sciences. When applying principal component analysis (PCA), however, those data are often treated as numeric, implying linear relationships between the variables at hand; alternatively, non-linear PCA is applied where the obtained quantifications are sometimes hard to interpret. Non-linear PCA for categorical data, also called optimal scoring/scaling, constructs new variables by assigning numerical values to categories such that the proportion of variance in those new variables that is explained by a predefined number of principal components (PCs) is maximized. We propose a penalized version of non-linear PCA for ordinal variables that is a smoothed intermediate between standard PCA on category labels and non-linear PCA as used so far. The new approach is by no means limited to monotonic effects and offers both better interpretability of the non-linear transformation of the category labels and better performance on validation data than unpenalized non-linear PCA and/or standard linear PCA. In particular, an application of penalized optimal scaling to ordinal data as given with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is provided.     

Isotonic ordinal probabilistic models (ISOP)

The concept of an ordinal instrumental probabilistic comparison is introduced. It relies on an ordinal scale given a priori and on the concept of stochastic dominance. It is used to define a weakly independently ordered system, or isotonic ordinal probabilistic (ISOP) model, which allows the construction of separate sample-free ordinal scales on a set of subjects and a set of items. The ISOP-model is a common nonparametric theoretical structure for unidimensional models for quantitative, ordinal and dichotomous variables.Fundamental theorems on dichotomous and polytomous weakly independently ordered systems are derived. It is shown that the raw score system has the same formal properties as the latent system, and therefore the latter can be tested at the observed empirical level.I wish to thank 3 reviewers and 2 editors who contributed a lot to the readability and precision of the article.     

Multiple-answer multiple-choice test items: Responding and scoring through bayes and minimax strategies

A multiple-answer multiple-choice test item has a certain number of alternatives,any number of which might be keyed. The examinee is also allowed to mark any number of alternatives. This increased flexibility over the one keyed alternative case is useful in practice but raises questions about appropriate scoring rules. In this article a certain class of item scoring rules called thebinary class is considered. The concepts ofstandard scoring rules and equivalence among these scoring rules are introduced in the misinformation model for which the traditional knowledge model is a special case. The examinee's strategy with respect to a scoring rule is examined. The critical role of a quantity called the scoring ratio is emphasized. In the case of examinee uncertainty about the number of correct alternatives on an item, a Bayes and a minimax strategy for the examinee are developed. Also an appropriate response for the examiner to the minimax strategy is outlined.Research partially supported under Grants N00014-67-A-0314-0022 from the Office of Naval Research and GS-32514 and MPS 75-07539 from the National Science Foundation.     

Measuring rationality independent of social desirability

The development of a test to measure Elli's concept of rationality is described. In the first study discussed, a 58-item test is developed to measure rationality, and the reliability and convergent validity of the test is described. In a second study, the discriminant validity of the test is examined. An attempt is also made to reduce social-desirability content in the test by eliminating items most highly correlated with a Social Desirability Scale. The final 44-item test is found to be high in both reliability and validity. The factor structure of the test is also examined.     

An empirically derived scoring system for intermale aggression in mice

Scoring systems used to assess intermale aggression have been characterized by arbitrary scales and wide variability in the behaviors selected for measurement. The use of such different systems severely limits the ability of investigators to make meaningful comparisons among studies and indicates that there is a need for a common, statistically derived evaluative system for intermale aggression. We measured the frequency and duration of five major components of agonistic behavior exhibited by intact males toward olfactory bulbectomized stimulus males and then analyzed the data using a number of univariate and multivariate procedures. The results were used to generate two statistically based scoring systems, one a short-form index and the other a composite index for more detailed studies of aggression. It is hoped that these statistically derived systems will be adopted by other investigators to increase methodological congruence in the field.     

Learning through observing: Effects of modeling truth‐ and lie‐telling on children’s honesty

The current study examined the influence of observing another's lie‐ or truth‐telling – and its consequences – on children's own honesty about a transgression. Children (N = 224, 5–8 years of age) observed an experimenter (E) tell the truth or lie about a minor transgression in one of five conditions: (a) Truth‐Positive Outcome – E told the truth with a positive outcome; (b) Truth‐Negative Outcome – E told the truth with a negative outcome; (c) Lie‐Positive Outcome – E lied with a positive outcome; (d) Lie‐Negative Outcome – E lied with a negative outcome; (e) Control – E did not tell a lie or tell the truth. Later, to examine children's truth‐ or lie‐telling behavior, children participated in a temptation resistance paradigm where they were told not to peek at a trivia question answer. They either peeked or not, and subsequently lied or told the truth about that behavior. Additionally, children were asked to give moral evaluations of different truth‐ and lie‐telling vignettes. Overall, 85% of children lied. Children were less likely to lie about their own transgression in the TRP when they had previously witnessed the experimenter tell the truth with a positive outcome or tell a lie with a negative outcome.     

Examining the efficacy of truth/lie discussions in predicting and increasing the veracity of children's reports

This study investigated whether children's ability to reason about truths and lies influenced their truth-telling behavior. Four-six-year-old children (n=118) played a game that was intended to motivate children to use deception to hide a minor transgression. Next, an interviewer gave children one of four preliminary discussions. Children received a typical forensic truth/lie discussion (TLD), a developmentally appropriate and more elaborate TLD, or one of two discussions that controlled for the time spent conversing with children. Children were interviewed about the event. The results revealed that children's performance on the truth/lie questions did not predict their truth-telling behavior. Regardless of their performance on truth/lie questions, children who received TLD's gave more honest reports than children who did not receive TLD's. These results suggest that discussing truths and lies with children may promote truth-telling behavior. However, the results cast doubt on the validity of using children's performance on truth/lie questions as a measure of competency.     

鬼谷子的测谎心理思想研究

鬼谷子的测谎心理思想其目的在于帮助统治者考察权变、征召远近人才、谋划国家事物、献说陈情、决安危、定亲疏、察同异、辨真伪。其基本依据的是阴阳观。他认为阴阳是宇宙变化的一贯之道,把握了阴阳之道,就获得了开启人内心隐秘的基本原理。其所遵循的原则是：知己知人原则,隐秘性原则,把握时机原则。其具体技术有捭阖术,即根据阴阳变化原理提出的开启和闭藏的技术;钩言术,即通过语言表达的动静状态窥探他人内心情报的方法;飞箝术,是以激励、褒扬的言语诱导对方获得实情而抓住对方心理的一种测谎技术。揣摩术,又分揣术和摩术。揣术是根据情感的两极变化和惯常行为表现推测对方心理真实情报的方法。摩术是指将内在情感与外在符验相结合进行推测、切磋、体会获得对方真实情报的方法。