bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Depressive Symptoms and Accuracy in the Prediction of Future Events
Authors: Shrauger J. Sidney , Mariano Eric , Walter Todd J.
Published: March 2007

In two studies, the authors examined the accuracy of dysphoric and nondysphoric individuals' predictions about their future behavior. Participants predicted the occurrence of a variety of everyday events and reported on their occurrence over a period of either 4 (Study 1) or 8 (Study 2) weeks. As expected, dysphoria was unrelated to overall accuracy, but nondysphorics tended to be more accurate in making optimistic predictions and dysphorics tended to be more accurate in making pessimistic predictions. These differences were related to differences between the two dysphoric groups in base rates of reported outcome occurrence and certainty of judgments. The findings did not support depressive realism, the negative biasing effect of dysphoria on future predictions, or the contention that dysphorics are less accurate because they predict either more atypical or overly optimistic outcomes.
The Performance of Dimtest When Latent Trait and Item Difficulty Distributions Differ
Authors: Seraphine Anne E.
Published: March 2007

This monte carlo study examined DIMTEST for unidimensional and two-dimensional data that exhibited ceiling effects. These effects were generated through changes in the location and scale of the θ distribution when the item difficulty ( b) distribution was held constant at b ~ N(0,1). Results indicated that the power of DIMTEST was reduced as the location shifted upward and the scale shifted downward. This held only when the AT1 items were selected using principal axis factor analysis. When AT1 items were selected using expert opinion, the procedure was only slightly affected by changes in location and scale. However, it is unclear how successful the use of expert judgment will be in applied settings.
Individual Differences Correlates of Accuracy in Evaluating Others' Performance Effectiveness
Authors: Borman Walter C.
Published: March 2007

This paper presents an approach to studying ac curacy in person perception. Problems in assessing interpersonal accuracy are discussed, and then addressed in an empirical study of the perception of human performance. In the study, 16 scripts de scribing persons performing on two jobs—recruiting interviewer and manager—were prepared in such a way that the performers' effectiveness on various di mensions of performance approached a preset, realistic level. Five- to nine-minute performances of these scripts were videotaped, and "true scores" of effectiveness were developed by obtaining expert ratings of performance on each relevant job di mension. One hundred forty-six students thep com pleted a series of inventories tapping various in dividual differences and rated the performers' ef fectiveness on each dimension. Differential accuracy (DA; Cronbach, 1955) scores were computed for each subject, and DA scores were correlated with inventory responses. Seventeen percent of the var iance in DA was accounted for by the individual differences measured. A profile of the accurate per ceiver of performance was developed, and these re sults were compared to findings from other studies of interpersonal accuracy.
Response Tendency in a Questionnaire without Questions
Authors: van Heerden J. , Hoogstraten Joh.
Published: March 2007

In a replication of an earlier study by Berg and Rapaport (1954), a questionnaire with items lacking content and containing merely answer possibilities was administered to 197 Dutch psychology fresh men. Students clearly did not react in accordance with the laws of statistical probability but showed, like Berg and Rapaport's subjects, a preference for positive options such as yes, true, and satisfied over negative options such as no, false, and dissatisfied. No sex differences or differences due to position of the answer possibilities were found. This result is in contrast with the 1954 findings, because Berg and Rapaport found that option position and subjects' sex did influence response bias.
An Examination of Methodological Issues Relevant to the Use and Interpretation of the Semantic Differential
Authors: Mann Irene T. , Phillips James L. , Thompson Eileen G.
Published: March 2007

A number of methodological issues have been raised regarding the semantic differential tech nique. This study re-examined several key prob lems, particularly the assumed bipolarity of scales, instructions regarding use of the midpoint, and concept-scale interaction, all of which may con tribute to a lack of precision in the technique. In addition, this study utilized an analysis of variance model to partition variance in semantic differential ratings. Forty subjects responded to one of four in struments on two occasions. Instruments differed in terms of polarity type (bipolar or unipolar) and presence or absence of an irrelevance option. Twenty-four concepts uniformly distributed throughout semantic space were judged on either 15 or 30 scales. Results indicated that the Evaluation- Potency-Activity (EPA) structure was both robust and reliable. However, several features of the data argued for caution in the use of the semantic dif ferential technique. Both the Concept x Scale inter action and the Scale x Concept x Person interaction accounted for substantial proportions of variance in semantic differential ratings. Suggestions were of fered to minimize such effects.
Successive Unfolding of Family Preferences
Authors: Rodgers Joseph Lee , Young Forrest W.
Published: March 2007

A technique to scale preferences in relation to an externally derived stimulus configuration, called Successive Unfolding, is described. Four steps are involved: (1) computing a matrix of inter-stimulus distances; (2) using ALSCAL to obtain a stimulus configuration from the matrix of distances; (3) using Carroll's regression procedure to solve for subject ideal points; and (4) using this starting con figuration to scale preference rank orders in ALSCAL. The technique is used to analyze family preference data. Results suggest that a number preference, a sex preference, and a balance pref erence are the components contributing to overall family preferences. Race and sex differences are portrayed by locating subject ideal points along these dimensions. Finally, the relationship of Suc cessive Unfolding to previous techniques for mea suring family preferences is discussed, and the de cision-making process modeled by Successive Un folding is outlined.
Constructing the Puerto Rico Self-Concept Scale: Problems and Procedures
Authors: Abadzi Helen , Florez Sonia
Published: March 2007

The Puerto Rico self-concept scale was developed for the purpose of assessing the relationship of self- concept with academic achievement and other school-related variables in Puerto Rico. An 88-item scale that can measure self-concept in the 4th, 7th, and 10th grades was constructed. Empirical criteri on keying was used for the development of items that were also adapted to the phraseology used by local students. After small-group testing, the 264- item bank was administered to 2,445 students. Item analyses focused on item discrimination. Scores showed a low but significant correlation with pre vious' year's grade point average. Overall scale re liability was .93. A 34-item short form had overall reliability of .84. Preliminary norms were prepared from existing data.
Identifiability of Spurious Factors Using Linear Factor Analysis with Binary Items
Authors: Green Samuel B.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ro bustness of some linear factor analytic techniques to violations of the linearity assumption by factoring product-moment correlations computed from data con forming to an extended, three-parameter logistic model of item responding. Three factors were crossed to yield 81 subcases: the number of underlying dimen sions (0, 1, or 2), the number of items (10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, or 50), and the number of subjects (100, 250, or 500). The mean eigenvalues for the sub cases were evaluated using parallel analysis and the scree technique. The mean eigenvectors were visually inspected. For almost all subcases with one or two un derlying dimensions, a single spurious factor was able to be identified using parallel analysis. However, in comparison with the nonspurious factors, it was small in magnitude and, in practice, factors of this relative size might be interpreted as trivial. It was concluded that researchers may have some confidence in inter preting linear factor analysis with binary items if they are using a test instrument that has been carefully de veloped.
A Simulation Study of the Difference Chi-Square Statistic for Comparing Latent Class Models Under Violation of Regularity Conditions
Authors: Holt Judith A. , Macready George B.
Published: March 2007

This study explored the robustness of the likelihood ratio difference statistic to the violation of a regularity condition when used to assess differences in fit pro vided by pairs of latent class models. Under regularity conditions, the additive property of the likelihood ratio statistic can be used to assess the statistical difference between pairs of hierarchically related models (i.e., one model is a constrained form of the other). How ever, when one of the two models being compared is obtained by fixing parameters of the other model at boundary values (i.e., 0 or 1), a regularity condition is violated and the difference statistic is not necessarily distributed as χ2. The effects of three independent var iables on the distribution of the difference statistics were studied for two generation models and a variety of subsuming models. Differential effects in terms of the direction and the extent of deviation were pro duced according to the types of model comparisons; these effects negate the application of a simple correc tion to the statistic to achieve a χ2 distribution. Rec ommendations are made regarding how this statistic might reasonably be used under violation of the regu larity condition.
The Relationship of Expert-System Scored Constrained Free-Response Items to Multiple-Choice and Open-Ended Items
Authors: Bennett Randy Elliot , Rock Donald A. , Braun Henry I. , Frye Douglas , Spohrer James C. , Soloway Elliot
Published: March 2007

This study examined the relationship of an expert- system scored constrained free-response item (requir ing the student to debug a faulty computer program) to two other item types: (1) multiple-choice and (2) free- response (requiring production of a program). Confir matory factor analysis was used to test the fit of a three-factor model to these data and to compare the fit of the model to three alternatives. These models were fit using two random-half samples, one given a faulty program containing one bug and the other a program with three bugs. A single-factor model best fit the data for the sample taking the one-bug constrained free re sponse and a two-factor model fit the data somewhat better for the second sample. In addition, the factor intercorrelations showed this item type to be highly re lated to both the free-response and multiple-choice measures.
Rasch Models in Latent Classes: An Integration of Two Approaches to Item Analysis
Authors: Rost Jürgen
Published: March 2007

A model is proposed that combines the theoret ical strength of the Rasch model with the heuristic power of latent class analysis. It assumes that the Rasch model holds for all persons within a latent class, but it allows for different sets of item parameters between the latent classes. An estima tion algorithm is outlined that gives conditional maximum likelihood estimates of item parameters for each class. No a priori assumption about the item order in the latent classes or the class sizes is required. Application of the model is illustrated, both for simulated data and for real data.
Recovery of Marginal Maximum Likelihood Estimates in the Two-Parameter Logistic Response Model: An Evaluation of MULTILOG
Authors: Stone Clement A.
Published: March 2007

Marginal maximum likelihood (MML) estimation of the logistic response model assumes a structure for the distribution of ability (8). If this assump tion is incorrect, the statistical properties of MML estimates may not hold. Monte carlo methods were used to evaluate MML estimation of item param eters and maximum likelihood (ML) estimates of θ in the two-parameter logistic model for varying test lengths, sample sizes, and assumed θ dis tribution. 100 datasets were generated for each of the combinations of factors, allowing for item-level analyses based on means across replications. MML estimates of item difficulty were generally precise and stable in small samples, short tests, and under varying distributional assumptions of θ. When the true distribution of θ was normal, MML estimates of item discrimination were also gen erally precise and stable. ML estimates of θ were generally precise and stable, although the distribu tion of θ estimates was platykurtic and truncated at the high and low ends of the score range.
Equating Tests Under The Nominal Response Model
Authors: Baker Frank B.
Published: March 2007

Under item response theory, test equating involves finding the coefficients of a linear trans formation of the metric of one test to that of another. A procedure for finding these equating coefficients when the items in the two tests are nominally scored was developed. A quadratic loss function based on the differences between response category probabilities in the two tests is employed. The gradients of this loss function needed by the iterative multivariate search procedure used to obtain the equating coefficients were derived for the nominal response case. Examples of both hori zontal and vertical equating are provided. The empirical results indicated that tests scored under a nominal response model can be placed on a com mon metric in both horizontal and vertical equatings.
Assembling Tests for the Measurement of Multiple Traits
Authors: van der Linden Wim J.
Published: March 2007

For the measurement of multiple traits, this paper pro poses assembling tests based on the targets for the (as ymptotic) variance functions of the estimators of each of the traits. A linear programming model is presented that can be used to computerize the assembly process. Several cases of test assembly dealing with multidimensional traits are distinguished, and versions of the model appli cable to each of these cases are discussed. An empirical example of a test assembly problem from a two-dimen sional mathematics item pool is provided.
Raw-Score Conditional Standard Errors of Measurement in Generalizability Theory
Authors: Brennan Robert L.
Published: March 2007

A comprehensive, integrated treatment is provided of both conditional absolute (A-type) standard errors of measurement (SEM) and conditional relative (a-type) SEMs from the perspective of generalizability theory. Results are provided for univariate singlefacet designs, multivariate single-facet designs, and designs with multiple random facets. Some previously derived conditional SEMs are shown to be special cases of results derived here. Average values (over examinees) of certain conditional SEMs are shown to be related to the error variances in coefficient a and stratified a. It is shown that the conditional A-type SEM is the standard error of the mean for the within-person design. As such, it is unaffected by the across-persons design and relatively easy to estimate. By contrast, the conditional 8-type SEM is necessarily influenced by the across-persons design and often quite complicated to estimate, especially for multifacet designs. Almost all estimators are illustrated with data from the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, the Iowa Tests of Educational Development, the Iowa Writing Assessment, and the QUASAR project. These examples support the conclusion that both types of conditional SEMs tend to be smaller at the extremes of the score scale than in the middle. Further, these examples suggest that a concave-down quadratic function fits the estimates quite well in a wide variety of cases.
Computerization of Paper-and-Pencil Tests: When are They Equivalent?
Authors: Neuman George , Baydoun Ramzi
Published: March 2007

The cross-mode equivalence of paper-and-pencil (P&P) and computer-based clerical tests was examined. 411 undergraduate students at two large Midwestern universities were administered 10 timed clerical tests. Although Mead & Drasgow's (1993) meta-analysis found that speededness moderated cross-mode equivalence, the current study found no differences across modes between P&P tests and computer-based tests (CBTs). When speeded CBTs follow the same administration and response procedures as the P&P format, differences across modes can be minimized. Equivalence is discussed at three levels: parallel, r-equivalent, and congeneric. The statistical and practical implications of test equivalence are presented. Although structural equation modeling determined the tests to be congeneric, results showed only small distributional differences cross-modally. No differential validity across formats was found.
Practical Issues in Computerized Test Assembly
Authors: Wightman Linda F.
Published: March 2007

This paper focuses on the potential contributions of optimal test design models to practical test assembly issues. These issues result from limitations in the models or the technology required for their implementation and limitations inherent in the test assembly process as it is currently configured, regardless of whether tests are assembled by computerized assembly algorithms or by experienced test specialists. Explication of these issues helps identify future challenges for researchers who may refine and enhance the models and for practitioners who may integrate the models into their operational procedures.
LM Tests for Functional Form and Spatial Error Correlation
Authors: Baltagi Badi H. , Li Dong
Published: March 2007

This paper derives Lagrangian multiplier (LM) tests to jointly test for functional form and spatial error correlation. In particular, this paper tests for linear and log-linear models with no spatial error dependence against a more general Box-Cox model with spatial error correlation. Conditional LM tests and modified Rao score tests that guard against local misspecification are also derived. These tests are easy to implement and are illustrated using Anselin’s crime data. The performance of these tests is also compared using Monte Carlo experiments.
Technological Change in Information-Processing Industries and Regional Income Differentials in Developing Countries
Authors: Clapp John M. , Richardson Harry W.
Published: March 2007

It is generally believed that the computer revolution and advances in information processing will erode one of the last constraints on the location of economic activities, namely the reliance on face-to-face contacts in the quaternary industries. There will be no need for these activities to cluster in core region metropolitan cities. They can become footloose and disperse to other regions according to locational preferences or other reasons. Whatever the merits of this idea, this paper argues that this will not happen in developing countries. Using a core-periphery model, it shows that as long as unit transport, communication, and contact costs are higher in the periphery than in the core, the impact of technological progress in the information-processing sector will tend to widen coreperiphery disparities rather than to narrow them. The policy options in this situation are quite limited.
The Emergence of Migration Cycles?
Authors: Mera Koichi
Published: March 2007

With a more thorough examination of population changes in the Tokyo region, this article confirms with regard to Japan the reconcentrating trend of urban population observed more clearly elsewhere by Cochrane and Vining (1988). Through an examination of the factors which led to the turnaround in the 1980s in Japan and elsewhere, it is argued that conservative economic policy, as manifested by deregulation and privatization, is the principal cause for reconcentration of urbanization in the 1980s in the economically advanced Western countries.
Regional Development and Transition in the Former Soviet Union: A Comment
Authors: Pleskovic Boris
Published: March 2007

The authors from Russia and Ukraine in this symposium provide insightful criticism of the old system and raise important questions about future directions of regional development. Sometimes, however, their ideas still reflect old ways of thinking. Particularly important for regional development is the future of banking. Competitive branch banking offers the best mechanism for serving the financial needs of regions, but several problems must be solved to establish an efficient banking system. The transfer of knowledge and experience from market-based economies will be expedited by an increase in exchange programs joint research, and cooperation between Western regional scientists and economists and those in the former Soviet Union.
Firm Relocation Threats and Copy Cat Costs
Authors: Wohlgemuth Darin , Kilkenny Maureen
Published: March 2007

To retain firms, states are forgiving billions of dollars in tax liabilities. Some firms move even after a relief package is offered; other firms obtain tax concessions by bluffing. When firms threaten to relocate unless their current tax burden is lightened, what should a local government do? If it offers relief, at best it retains the firm, but it also encourages other firms ("copy cats") to demand similar treatment. At worst, it loses the firm and has to deal with the additional threats. Tax incentive packages can cost much more than foregone revenues related to the single threatening firm. We solve a local government's constrained optimization problem to identify its optimal response in a game theoretic framework with asymmetric information. Industrial recruitment is modeled as a sealed-bid process in which the government does not know what alternative tax package(s) may be offered to the firm. We show that the probability of a relief offer being the optimal response is positively related to the rate of expansion and indirect revenue (income and sales taxes related to firm activity in the locale) and negatively related to copy cat costs and the magnitude of tax relief. The problem is analyzed theoretically and graphically. The choice rules are related to other empirical work and illustrated numerically.
Why Military Technology Is Difficult to Restrain
Authors: Greenwood Ted
Published: March 2007

Military technology is difficult to restrain for many reasons. Military forces and associated technology serve important functions in the foreign policy of states. Military technology is also pursued to enhance military capability and cost-effectiveness of military forces, to ensure that one's own forces outperform those of an adversary, to play symbolic roles, and to preserve or improve stability in the international system. In addition, new military technology and new systems are advocated by military services and military equipment manufacturers for organizational and economic as well as strategic reasons. To date, arms control agreements have not significantly restrained innovation in military technology, nor are they likely to do so in the future. This is a result of asymmetries between the forces of the United States and the Soviet Union and of the intrinsic difficulties of designing arms control agreements that restrain technological innovation m ways that are both meaningful and verifiable. Although the difficulty of restraining military technology should temper expectations for both nuclear and con ventional arms control, there is no reason to believe that meaningful arms control will be rendered impossible as a consequence.
Instrumentation, Interdisciplinary Knowledge, and Research Performance in Spin Glass and Superfluid Helium Three
Authors: Hicks Diana
Published: March 2007

Interviews with researchers in two fields of condensed matter physics point to differences in their strategies for success. In one, synthesizing interdisciplinary knowledge takes priority over developing sophisticated instrumentation; in the other, developing instru ments is crucial. As a result, the fields differ in other ways, such as growth rates, presence of dilettantes, and freedom available to plan experiments. The differing priority given to instrumentation in each field suggests that blanket generalizations about advances in instrumentation being crucial to advances in science are too simple.
The Hidden Structure of Soviet Science
Authors: Lubrano Linda L.
Published: March 2007

A study of informal networks in Soviet science, this article documents the existence of a complex system of interlocking and overlapping channels ofprofessional communication that cut across the formal, hierarchical chains of command in the USSR Academy of Sciences. Through coauthorship data and career histories, one can identify science schools, research groups, social circles, and professional cliques in the Soviet scientific community during the Stalin, Khrushchev, and Brezhnev regimes. There was an expansion and integration of social circles over time and a pluralism of interdependent, but distinct, scientific elites. This structure took on political significance through the persistence of a liberal democratic tradition among scientists in the Academy.
How European and U.S. Genetic Engineering Scientists View the Impact of Public Attention on Their Field: A Comparison
Authors: Rabino Isaac
Published: March 2007

Two recent surveys of genetic engmeering scientists have assessed how scientists in the United States and in Europe view the influence of regulation and public attention on recombinant DNA research. Generally, European researchers are more negative about this issue: they feel that public attention has hampered progress in the field more than it has helped it. The probable cause for this difference is that European countries tend to have more—and more stringent—regulations on bioengineering than the United States, although there are also national differences in the climate for bioengineering research. On the other hand, scientists in the United States seem extremely concerned about competitiveness, especially relative to Japan.
The Computer Prescription: Medical Computing, Public Policy, and Views of History
Authors: Kaplan Bonnie
Published: March 2007

This article traces past trends and current developments in medical computing in the United States. It suggests a link between shifts in emphases in medical computing and in federal government policy toward health care delivery. The development of medical computing was not driven solely by the internal imperatives of science and technology, but by dreams and visions of how computers could revolutionize medicine. Such dreams and visions constitute a mythical charter similar to ideologies and rhetoric used to mobilize support by other computerization movements. This mythical charter influenced development of medical computing by tying computing in medicine to policy goals. This charter also affected historical accounts in medical computing, which are characterized by technological determinism and evidence of cognitive dissonance due to failure to achieve policy goals.
Hermaphrodite Patients: In Vitro Fertilization and the Transformation of Male Infertility
Authors: Van der Ploeg Irma
Published: March 2007

In the medical-technological practice of in vitro fertilization (IVF), it is increasingly the couple, rather than an individual patient, that is considered the unit of (infertility) treatment. This article traces some mechanisms involved in the construction of medical interventions on female bodies as appropriate and effective therapeutic solutions to problems and diagnoses pertaining to male bodies. It traces the transformation of male infertility through shifts in localization and definition of the problem, concomitant reconceptualizations of the techniques involved, redistributions of properties, and specific ways of constructing "success. " It is argued that both the notion of the couple as the patient in cases of male infertility and the claim that IVF techniques are appropriate solutions to this couple's problem simultaneously presuppose and legitimize medical interventions on women's bodies. This double movement is produced by leaving exactly the required material work of physical interventions—and, consequently, the uneven distribution of costs between the sexes—out of scientific accounts of these practices.
Developing Information Infrastructure: The Tension Between Standardization and Flexibility
Authors: Hanseth Ole , Monteiro Eric , Hatling Morten
Published: March 2007

This article explores the tension between standardization and flexibility in information infrastructure (II). Just like other large technical systems, the geographically dispersed yet highly interconnected II becomes increasingly resistant to change. Still, II design must anticipate and prepare for changes, even substantial ones, if infrastructure is to survive. An II contains a huge number of components that alternate between standardization and change throughout their lifetimes. These components are interdependent: when one is changed, others have to remain stable, and vice versa. The article examines theoretical concepts for frammg these aspects of an II. The empirical underpinning of the article is a study of two existing embryonic manifestations of II.
Does Follow-Up Loss Reflect Poor Outcome?
Authors: Ellsworth Robert B.
Published: March 2007

Loss of follow-up information regarding the adjustment of people who have received mental health services has been a troublesome problem when comparing the effectiveness of different treatment programs. The primary concern has been that a low response rate may indicate that patients are adjusting poorly. If this were true, then the treatment effectiveness ofprograms having low follow-up response rates would be overestimated. The present study compares the follow-up adjustment of patients on whom information was obtained by mail with the adjustment of mail nonresponders who were later interviewed by phone. The findings indicate that the posthospital adjustment of patients was not a significant factor in determining whether or not mailed follow-up questionnaires were returned. Rather, low response rates were primarily a function of data collector style and motivation level of those receiving mailed questionnaires.
Comprehensive Evaluation Model for Nursing Education
Authors: Reed Suellen B. , Riley William
Published: March 2007

The proposed model provides structure for determining decisions to be made, questions to be answered, and sources of infor mation about evaluation. A sample of the kinds of decisions that can be made for the various matrix elements of the evaluation model is reflected. Examples of questions that could be asked (why) in order to evaluate various aspects of a program (what)and of whom these questions could be asked (who) are provided. The model as described is useful in comprehensively delineating all aspects of the system. The flexibility of the system allows for the unique needs and aspects of the individual school to emerge. The model also provides a framework for organizing and implementing a plan for total program evaluation.
A Resident's Internal Medicine Practice
Authors: McGlynn Thomas J. , Munzenrider Robert F. , Zizzo John
Published: March 2007

The decision-making experience of rest-dents in a primary care internal medicine training practice was examined. The patient population provided residents appropriate training opportunities but the experience of many residents making decisions about prevalent primary care problems was often inadequate. The residents' evaluation of their educational experience with patients suggests that several elements of patient care affect their ability to learn. These include the occurrence of diseases in their patients, opportunities to treat and follow patients, the chance to use diagnostic pro cedures, and the option of reviewing their care with supervisors and consultants or through reading. The results of this study and the current understanding of the development of clinical judgment are discussed as argumentsfor evaluating internal medicine training programs in part by examining the content of residents' decision-making opportunities in their ambulatory patient practices.
Research Approaches in Health Professions Education
Authors: Engel John D. , Filling Constance M.
Published: March 2007

Research in health professions education has been dominated by a research paradigm emphasizing controlled experimenta tion. Widespread criticism has been voiced by leaders in the research community concerning the adequacy of the paradigm to deal with complex human behavior occurring in complex social environments. This article is concerned with exploring the implications of controlled studies for health professions education and proposing an alternative research strategy.
Research and Evaluation Data Banks
Authors: Friedman Charles P.
Published: March 2007

Computerized data banks for ongoing research and evaluation are becoming increasingly common in institutions of health professions education. An organization wishing to create such a system must choose among a virtually infinite set of alternatives for software design. Such choices are made in an uncertain environment since the exact nature of system use cannot be predicted. Tofacilitate software design, this article identifies numerous "rational" and "nonrational" factors affecting such decisions and a set of characteristics descriptive of the designs themselves. Using as examples four systems currently in operation in schools of medicine, the narrative examines ways in which software designs differ on these characteristics and some of the operating implications of these differences.
Peer Review of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Authors: Cohen Lawrence H. , Pizzirusso Diane
Published: March 2007

Two factorial experiments examined the effects of reviewer theoretical orientation, documented treatment progress, and patient concurrence data on the peer review of clinical treatment reports that described long-term psychodynamic psychotherapi with a depressed, female outpatient. The experiments employed an unobtrusive methodology; peer reviewers believed that their evaluations would affect the disposition of actual mental health insurance claims. Subjects (n = 105) were American PsYchological Association/ Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHA MPUS) peer reviewers of a psychodynamic, behavioral, or eclectic theoretical orientation. The psychodynamic reviewers, compared with the behavioral and eclectic reviewers, were more positive in their ratings of treatment and more generous in their future care reimbursement recommendations. Additionally, the data demonstrated that APA/CHAMPUS peer review was sensitive to reported treatment progress, and that reviewers of diverse orientations were equally responsive to documented progress in psychodynamic psychotherapy. The patient concurrence manipulation had little effect on the dependent measures. Implications for mental health quality assurance programs are discussed.
The Evaluation of the Quality of Health Care
Authors: Rodale Robert
Published: March 2007

The careful selection of a physician or hospital is important to the quality of health care received. Unfortunately, our present medical/health system does not provide laypeople with the opportunity to take active, informed roles in choosing their own medical care. In order to make such decisions, laypeople need to have more useful information concerning the quality of their medicalproviders. Nonprofessional users of the system should become more actively involved in the evaluation of hospitals andphysicians. In doing so, people will not only improve their health, but also help to restructure the medical system into one that is more efficient and responsive to their needs.
Mental Health Quality Assurance
Authors: Cohen Lawrence H. , Stricker George
Published: March 2007

In this article, quality assurance efforts in the field of mental health are discussed, especially concerning the reviews of outpatient clinical services. The recently establishedAmerican PsychologicalAssociation APA/ CHAMPUSprogram is described in detail, a national program of peer review that is illustrative of the major conceptual and professional issues inherent in the mental health quality assurance process. Throughout the article, comparisons are made between quality assurance in the medicine and mental health fields.
Carry-Over of Medical Information System Influence to Control Patients
Authors: Rogers James L. , Haring Olga M. , Phifer James F.
Published: March 2007

Evaluations of medical information systems (MIS) often compare one or more dependent variables between experimental patients having the MIS available and control patients. Typically, physicians who are exposed to and therefore are potentially influenced by the MIS during visits with experimental patients also see control patients, thus possibly weakening the internal validity of subsequent comparisons between the MIS and the control conditions. The present study examines the possible bias due to carry-over of MIS influence to control patients in the context of a prospective, randomized design.
Evolution of Ethical Principles for Naturalistic Evaluation
Authors: Grover Paul L. , Uguroglu Margaret E.
Published: March 2007

What are the epistemological underpinnings of the principles which guide the practice of naturalistic evaluation? Are the implications of these principles fully understood by those who purport to use them? What ethical dilemmas are encountered in their application? To examine these questions, the authors trace the historical development of both experimental and naturalistic models. The unique role, tasks and stresses of the evaluatorfunctioning within a naturalistic design are examined. Problems ofprivacyand data gathering techniques are discussed. Benefits and costs of naturalistic evaluation applied in the medical school context are summarized in the areas of curriculum development, understanding ofprogramfunctioning and enhanced involvement by program personnel.
A Bayesian Aggregate Meta-Analytic Evaluation Approach
Authors: Suen Hoi K.
Published: March 2007

The Bayesian inferential process is modified to be used as an approach to an aggregate meta-analytic evaluation. Comparisons of the Bayesian approach with the traditional average effect size meta-analytic approach indicated that the Bayesian approach was more sensitive to differences between studies. The approaches to derive descriptive and inferential statistics were more consistent in the Bayesian approach. Because of its ability to account for all available information, the Bayesian approach was statistically more powerful. It is recommended that this approach be used for combining evaluation results when primary data are not available and when all evaluations involve comparisons of two independent samples.
Does Prospective Payment Encourage Nursing Home Efficiency?
Authors: Smith Howard L. , Fottler Myron D. , Saxberg Borje O.
Published: March 2007

The health-care field is increasingly sensitive to the effect of third-party reimbursement policies on health-care organization performance. The ability to attain low costs and high net income, for example, is particularly affected by prospective reimbursement. Theoretically, prospective payments should provide an incentive to health-care organizations to implement better control overperformance. These ideas are examined in a study of nursing homes. Results of this analysis indicate that management controlpractices contribute to efficient performance. The association of thisfinding with prospective reimbursement is discussedfrom theperspective of implicationsfor health-care organizations.
Technical Advances in Credentialing Examinations
Authors: Hambleton Ronald K. , Rogers H. Jane
Published: March 2007

Over the last 15 years, many technical advances have been made in measurement theory and practice that should influence the methods used for constructing credentialing examinations in the health professions. Thepurpose of this article is to describe several of these technical advances, notably criterion-referenced testing, item response theory, and computers and testing. Several remaining problems concerning the development and validation of credentialing examinations are also considered.
Evaluating Reliability
Authors: Hogan Andrew J.
Published: March 2007

This study derives the economic costs of misclassification in nursing home patient classification systems. These costs are then used as weights to estimate the reliability of afunctional assessment instrument applied to 290 Veterans Administration nursing home patients. The weighted kappa is used to measure reliability and the results were generallyfavorable. Use of the unweighted kappa indicated significant reliabilityproblems. It is suggested that reliability must be redefined and remeasured with each substantively new application of an assessment instrument.
Comparing Selfand Supervisor Evaluations
Authors: Kolm Paul , Verhulst Steven J.
Published: March 2007

Studies comparing selfand supervisor evaluations ofperformance during medical training have generally indicated a lack of congruence between the two sets ofratings. A possible explanation is that supervisors may make evaluations on the basis of an overall impression whereas self-evaluations are more sensitive to differences between performance in different areas. Supportfor this explanation was indicated by consistently higher correlations among supervisor ratings of 13 performance areas for first year residents. Support was also indicated by separate factor analyses of supervisor and self-ratings of the 13 areas, in that two factors were identified for supervisors whereas there were three for self-ratings. It was concluded that the data supported the notion that self-ratings were more discriminating than supervisors'in evaluating resident performance across a number ofperformance areas.
Heart Disease
Authors: Slater Carl H. , Carlton Bill , Ramirez Gilbert , Ashton Carol
Published: March 2007

There has been a continuing debate among health professionals concerning the appropriate strategy of use for the prevention of ischemic heart disease: a targeted high-risk group strategy or a community strategy. A careful review of the evidence demonstrates that neither approach can be recommended to the exclusion of the other. The results are, however, supportive of the lowering of serum cholesterol in high risk individuals. The inconclusiveness of these studies appears to be related to several problems, which are discussed in the text: statistical powerproblems, characteristics of the interventions, unique design problems associated with prevention trials, and problems related to the choice of modelsfor investigation and intervention. Several suggestionsforfuture research to address each of these problems are made.
Findings from the National Health Interview Survey
Authors: Schoenborn Charlotte A.
Published: March 2007

This article provides an overview of the National Health Interview Survey, describes the Survey's analytic potential in the area of health promotion and disease prevention, andpresents NHIS findings on trends in smoking, alcohol consumption, and overweight between 1983 and 1985, by sex, age, education, income, race, Hispanic origin, and geographic region. The data suggest that social, cultural, and economic differences exist in both the prevalence of and trends in these three important health behaviors.
Student Assessment of Teaching Effectiveness in a Multi-Instructor Course for Multidisciplinary Health Professional Students
Authors: Palchik Nancy S. , Burdi Alphonse R. , Hess George E. , Dielman Ted E.
Published: March 2007

Student evaluations of teaching effectiveness in a large multi-instructor human anatomy course for students from four professionalprograms (nursing, dental hygiene, pharmacy, and physical education) were examined over a three-year period to assess the influence of professional program on student ratings of instruction. In spite of wide differences in mean achievement, students in the four professional groups were relatively consistent in their differential evaluations of the three course instructors and in their evaluations of learner motivational and course performance dimensions of instruction. Results supportedpreviousfindings regarding both (a) the internal consistency and interrater reliability of student evaluations of instruction in a course format increasingly being used in health professional education and (b) the needfor multiple assessments of instruction over time before generalizations can be made about an individual instructor's teaching skill.
An Application of Item Response Theory to Certifying Examinations in Internal Medicine
Authors: Shea Judy A. , Norcini John J. , Webster George D.
Published: March 2007

This study assessed the suitability of item response theory (IRT) for medical examination data. The specific purposes were (I) to see whether the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Certifying Examination data met IRT model assumptions and (2) to apply the one-parameter and three-parameter IRT models to the data and observe whether the expected benefits were obtained Analysis of examinees' responses to single-best-answer items supported the general assumptions of local independence, unidimensionality, and nonspeededness. The specific assumptions of the three-parameter model were met, in that items differed in discrimination and guessing. The estimated ability and item parameters were not initially as Tables as hoped, because of a few poorly estimated parameters and possibly the homogeneity of the examinee group and consequently the large number of items with poor discrimination. Future work needs to include content experts to help understand why some items do not fit and to ensure that the retained items result in a content-valid examination.
A Cost-Effectiveness Evaluation of Primary Health Care Projects for the Poor
Authors: Begley Charles E. , Dowd Catherine McKinnon , McCandless Roy
Published: March 2007

A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted to determine the relative efficiency of nine primary health care projects serving low income persons in urban and rural areas of Texas. The projects were created as part of a government program to provide services in medically underserved areas of the state by contracting with local public and private providers. While they vary widely in terms of sponsoring organizations, service strategy, and scope of services, the projects share a similar goal of providing an array of basic medical and preventive care services to the poor. This study compares the average cost per encounter for diagnosis/treatment, emergency, family planning, and preventive health screening services provided by the various projects during the first year of operation. After adjusting for differences in input prices and patient volume, the cost differences are examined and related to organizational model and personnel mix. Those projects with the highest ratio of nonphysician to physician practitioners proved more cost-effective, as did those projectsfollowing the public clinic model of service delivery.