bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Direction of Wording Effects in Balanced Scales
Authors: Miller Timothy R. , Cleary T. Anne
Published: March 2007

This study investigated the degree to which statistical item selection is effective in reducing direction-of-wording effects in balanced affective measures developed from relatively small item pools. A pool of Likert-type loneliness items and their reversals was partitioned into balanced subsets by random and statistical item selection. Factor analyses of the alternate forms indicated that selection of items with high item-total correlations produced an instrument that showed the clearest direction-of-wording effects, with the positively and negatively keyed items loading on separate factors. The second factor was small in magnitude but clear and consistent. The clarity of the effects decreased as the internal consistency of the item subsets decreased. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed and directions for future research are suggested.
Some Formulas for Use with Bayesian Ability Estimates
Authors: Mislevy Robert J.
Published: March 2007

Relationships between Bayesian ability estimates and the parameters of a normal population distribution are derived in the context of classical test theory. Analogues are provided for use as approximations in work with item response theory. The following questions were addressed:

What is the relationship between the distribution of the latent ability variable in a population, and the distribution of ability estimates?

Because calculating Bayesian estimates typically requires knowing the population distribution, how should one proceed if it is not known?

What if Bayesian ability estimates have been calculated in accordance with a common population distribution, but it is later desired to estimate the distributions of specified subpopulations?
The Predictive Validity of the National Teacher Examinations Used for Admission to Teacher Education Programs
Authors: Williams Valerie S. L. , Wakeford Mary E.
Published: March 2007

This research investigates previous findings which report that performance on the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) tests of Communication Skills (CS) and General Knowledge (GK) used for teacher education admissions was not related to performance in teacher education course work. Administrative data were collected for 1,143 graduates of teacher education programs, including various test scores and grade point averages. The CS and GK scores were not found to be strongly enough related to performance in teacher education programs, as measured by grade point average, to merit their use as requirements for admission. The tests are useful for predicting performance on the NTE test of Professional Knowledge, the state certification examination. Cross-validation of prior regression models showed these relationships to be stable. The authors point out policy implications of the study.
Reliability and Predictive Validity of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Mslq)
Authors: Pintrich Paul R. , Smith David A. F. , Garcia Teresa , Mckeachie Wilbert J.
Published: March 2007

This paper reports on a new self-report, Likert-scaled instrument that was designed to assess motivation and use of learning strategies by college students. The motivation scales tap into three broad areas: (1) value (intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientation, task value), (2) expectancy (control beliefs about learning, self-efficacy); and (3) affect (test anxiety). The learning strategies section is comprised of nine scales which can be distinguished as cognitive, metacognitive, and resource management strategies. The cognitive strategies scales include (a) rehearsal, (b) elaboration, (c) organization, and (d) critical thinking. Metacognitive strategies are assessed by one large scale that includes planning, monitoring, and regulating strategies. Resource management strategies include (a) managing time and study environment; (b) effort management, (c) peer learning, and (d) help-seeking. Scale reliabilities are robust, and confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated good factor structure. In addition, the instrument shows reasonable predictive validity to the actual course performance of students.
Sensitivity, Specificity, and Positive Predictive Value as Measures of Prediction Accuracy: The Case of the Eat-26
Authors: Scheinberg Zvi , Koslowsky Meni , Bleich Avi , Mark Mordechai , Apter Alan , Danon Yehuda , Solomon Zahava , Babur Isaac
Published: March 2007

Recently, investigators have identified several levels of severity among people suffering from eating disorders. One of the more commonly used scales for screening people with eating disorders is the 26-item version of the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). Although decisions such as assigning individuals to treatment and control groups are often determined by the score on the EAT-26, researchers have not examined the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of the scale. In the present study, 231 female soldiers from a sample of 1,112 were interviewed and studied so as to determine the accuracy of decisions based on the EAT-26. Findings showed that the scale does poorly in identifying the most severe cases of eating disorders, but is better in identifying the milder case. The implications of the findings are discussed.
FD3: A Program for Measuring Fractal Dimension
Authors: Sarraille John J. , Myers Lin S.
Published: March 2007

Introduced is FD3, a program for estimation of fractal dimensions that may indicate the presence of chaos. The program, written in C computer language, will run on a variety of computers (e.g., Macintosh(r), IBM compatible, Next workstation) as long as they have a C compiler. Specific application is shown with the estimation of the fractal dimension of Bender-Gestalt. Included are the values for capacity, information, and correlation dimension for the nine drawings.
Development of a Short form for the Raven Advanced Progressive Matrices Test
Authors: Arthur Winfred , Day David V.
Published: March 2007

The Raven Advanced Progressive Matrices Test (APM) is a popular measure of higher order general cognitive ability (g). Its use in both basic research and applied settings is partially attributable to its apparent low level of culture loading. However, a major drawback curtailing more widespread use is its length; the APM is a 36-item power test with an administration time of 40-60 minutes. The present study reports on the development of a 12-item short form of the APM that demonstrates psychometric properties similar to the long form, but with a substantially shorter administration time. The ultimate goal is to provide researchers and practitioners with a version of the APM that can better meet their needs by providing a sound assessment of general intelligence in a shorter time frame than is available with the present form.
The Factor Structure and Predictive Validity of Burbach'S University Alienation Scale
Authors: Cooke Donna K.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of the study was to assess the dimensionality, discriminant, and predictive validities of a 15-item version of Burbach's University Alienation Scale. A total of 228 graduate students completed a questionnaire containing measures of alienation, commitment, locus of control, perceived likelihood of leaving, and withdrawal cognitions. Based on the partial identification numbers that they furnished voluntarily, follow-up data were obtained on the status of 121 respondents 12 months later. The findings confirmed the three-factor structure of the Burbach Alienation Scale but indicated that two of its items should be deleted. Based on confirmatory factor analytic results and correlations with locus of control, alienation and affective commitment appear to be distinct constructs. Although alienation failed to correlate with graduate student attrition after 12 months (p > .05), commitment, perceived likelihood of leaving, and withdrawal cognitions did (r = -.36, .52, and .24, respectively, p < .005, one-tailed). Contrary to the popular assumption, minority graduate students at this predominantly White university did not report higher levels of alienation (p > .05).
A Structural Model of Academic Performance, Socioeconomic Status, and Spearman's g
Authors: Brodnick R. J. , Ree Malcolm James
Published: March 2007

The study of psychometric g, a focus of research in both educational and occupational settings, recently has been raised to new levels by advances in covariance structure modeling, which allows relations among observed and latent variables to be investigated. This type of modeling was applied to the study of psychometric g in relation to collegiate academic performance and socioeconomic status. The results showed that psychometric g accounted for a substantial proportion of the variance in academic performance. The addition of the socioeconomic latent variable into any of the covariance structure models did not improve fit.
Tests for the Jackknife Autocorrelation Estimator rQ2
Authors: Huitema Bradley E. , McKean Joseph W.
Published: March 2007

Two tests for the jackknife autocorrelation estimator rQ2 are evaluated. It is shown that a test based on the conventional approach for estimating the standard error of a jackknife estimator leads to unacceptable Type I error. A simple alternative approach leads to a muchmore satisfactory test that is recommended for N > 20.
The Measurement of Work to Family Conflict
Authors: Stephens Gregory K. , Sommer Steven M.
Published: March 2007

Although research on work-family conflict has grown, empirical investigations have frequently been a theoretical and lacking in measurement rigor. The objective of this study was to develop a conceptually and methodologically sound measure of work to family conflict (W -* FC). Data were collected from three independent sources, and both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted, which supported a theoretically grounded measure of W -e FC. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a three-factor model, including time-, strain-, and behavior-based dimensions of W -> FC, was superior to both a two-factor and a single-factor (null) model.
Factorial Validity of Scores on the Structure of Temperament Questionnaire
Authors: Dumenci Levent
Published: March 2007

This study investigated the construct validity of scores on the Structure of Temperament Questionnaire (STQ), which was designed to measure eight dimensions of human temperament. The 105 STQ items were factor analyzed. Guided by previous research, both three-factor and nine-factor solutions were compared to the theoretical structure of the instrument. Neither the orthogonal nor the oblique solution revealed the eight first-order temperament factors (plus a social desirability factor). The three-dimensional structure of the STQ items was supported.
Incidence of Class Size on the Evaluation of University Teaching Quality
Authors: Mateo Miguel A. , Fernandez Juan
Published: March 2007

The authors set out to test a series of hypotheses on the relationship between class size and the evaluation of university teaching quality through student opinions. The information obtained from a sample of 1,157 classes, using a shortened version of the Complutense University Teachers Evaluation Questionnaire, offers empirical support for the following affirmations: (a) class size does have some impact on teaching ratings; (b) this relationship differs somewhat as a function of the two dimensions operationalized by the questionnaire; and (c) the effect sizes are quite small. With regard to the controversy over the shape of the relationship, this seems to depend to a large extent on the range of class sizes, and thus some of the hypotheses proposed so far may, in fact, be less incompatible than has been supposed previously.
Measuring Perceived Test Anxiety in Adolescents: A Self-Report Scale
Authors: Friedman Isaac A. , Bendas-Jacob Orit
Published: March 2007

This article presents the development of a measure of test anxiety among adolescents, named the FRIEDBEN Test Anxiety Scale (the FTA). It is a 23-item scale consisting of the following three subscales: (a) Social Derogation (worries of being socially belittled and deprecated by significant others following failure on a test), (b) Cognitive Obstruction (poor concentration, failure to recall, difficulties in effective problem solving, before or during a test), and (c) Tenseness (bodily and emotional discomfort). Replicability analyses-cross-validation and validity generalization-were conducted. Data regarding the construct validity of scores on the measure are reported.
Gender and Administration Mode Effects when Pencil-And-Paper Personality Tests are Computerized
Authors: Miles Edward W. , King Wesley C.
Published: March 2007

This study investigated whether gender and administration mode (computer vs. pencil and paper) influenced mean scores on four noncognitive psychological instruments (Equity Sensitivity Instrument, Rosenberg's Measure of Self-Esteem, Mach V Scale, and Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding). Undergraduate participants (N = 874) with previous computer experience voluntarily completed the instruments in either a computer or pencil-and-paper administration. Results indicated no statistically significant interaction effect between gender and administration mode, although statistically significant main effects for both gender and administration mode were found. These results offer promise that with respondents who have computer experience, gender does not appear to interact with administration mode to be a source of unaccounted-for variance when computers are used as an integral part of data collection.
The Beck Depression Inventory: A Cross-Validated Test of Second-Order Factorial Structure for Bulgarian Adolescents
Authors: Byrne Barbara M. , Baron Pierre , Balev Jorj
Published: March 2007

The purpose of the present study was to test for the validity of a higher order factorial structure of a Bulgarian version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for non clinical adolescents. In a cross validation of three independent samples (n1 = 227; n2 = 172; n3 = 292), and based on the analysis of covariance structures within the framework of a confirmatory factor analytic model, findings yielded exceptionally strong support for the hypothesized second-order three-factor structure. These findings add to a growing cross-cultural agglomerate of construct validity data related to the factorial structure of the BDI. Results are expected to be of substantial interest to both researchers and clinicians whose concerns focus on depression as it bears on this population.
The Measurement of Family Perspectives on Extended School Year Practices with Students in Special Education
Authors: SHARPTON WILLIAM R. , Sexton David , Luster Jane Nell , Lang Margaret
Published: March 2007

Although the provision of services beyond the traditional 180-day school year to students with disabilities-or extended school year (ESY) programs-has become a major national issue, there is a paucity of investigations designed to measure family perspectives on what ESY practices have been experienced and subsequently viewed as efficacious. The purpose of this study was to obtain validity and reliability indexes for scores on a 12-item scale developed as a result of a Louisiana consent decree that mandated the development and monitoring of guidelines for the provision of ESY services. Principal components analysis was conducted on the responses of 128 families that contained a member potentially eligible for ESY services. Results indicated that a two-component model was both valid and interpretable. Cronbach's alphas for total scale scores and the two components indicated acceptable internal consistency reliability levels.
Some Dimensions of Mathematics Anxiety: A Factor Analysis Across Instruments
Authors: Kazelskis Richard
Published: March 2007

The factor structure of the items of three commonly used measures of mathematics anxiety was examined using a sample of 323 undergraduates enrolled in a required college algebra course. Six oblique factors were identified: Mathematics Test Anxiety, Numerical Anxiety, Negative Affect Toward Mathematics, Worry, Positive Affect Toward Mathematics, and Mathematics Course Anxiety. In general, the factors tended to be specific to the particular mathematics anxiety scales with few items from one scale combining with items from another scale to define a given factor. Of particular interest was the identification of the dimensions of positive and negative affect toward mathematics. Additionally, the inter correlations among the factors were subjected to structural equation modeling to see if the factors measured a common dimension. The results did not support the existence of a single common dimension of mathematics anxiety as represented by the six factors.
Factor Structure and Construct Validity of Scores on the Hopelessness Scale for Children with Students with Cognitive Disabilities
Authors: Wehmeyer Michael L. , Palmer Susan B.
Published: March 2007

The psychometric characteristics of the Hopelessness Scale for Children (HSC) was examined for children and adolescents with mental retardation or a learning disability. Scores from 261 students with cognitive disabilities were analyzed to determine the factor structure and internal stability of scores on the scale with this population. Locus of control and achievement attribution scores were correlated with HSC scores to examine construct validity. The factor structure of the scale was almost identical to the original structure, and the scale scores were shown to have adequate construct validity. Internal stability was, however, slightly lower for students with cognitive disabilities.
Effects of Potential Confounding Factors on Fit Indices and Parameter Estimates for True and Misspecified SEM Models
Authors: Fan Xitao , Wang Lin
Published: March 2007

The present Monte Carlo study assessed the effects of three potential confounding factors on structural equation modeling (SEM) fit indices and parameter estimates: data nonnormality, estimation method, and sample size. The major findings were that (a) relatively mild data nonnormality has little effect on SEM fit indices and parameter estimates; (b) under misspecified models, estimation method (maximum likelihood [ML] vs. generalized least squares [GLS]) has considerable influence on SEM incremental fit indices; and (c) some fit indices are more susceptible to the influence of sample size. Previous findings in the literature that SEM fit indices were consistent under different estimation methods may need to be revisited, because the finding was primarily based on Monte Carlo simulations involving true SEM models. Because SEM researchers rarely are certain whether they have correctly specified their models, it is critical that simulation studies are conducted in the presence of model misspecification, as in the present study.
Effectiveness of Different Missing Data Treatments in Surveys with Likert-Type Data: Introducing the Relative Mean Substitution Approach
Authors: Raaijmakers Quinten A. W.
Published: March 2007

This article introduces a new approach to the substitution of missing values in surveys with Likert-type scales: relative mean substitution. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated in comparison with three other commonly used methods for dealing with missing values, making use of actual field data. The emphasis is on two aspects of global effectiveness: (a) the accuracy in estimating various parameters at the same time and (b) the accuracy in estimating, for Likert-type scales with different psychometric characteristics, these various parameters under different conditions, such as different numbers of respondents (1,674; 400; and 100) and different distributions of missing values (two random and three nonrandom situations). The results indicated that this new relative mean substitution approach globally produced the most accurate estimates, mainly because of the more accurate estimation of the variances and the sensitivity to items with deviating means, provided that the Likert-type scales are sufficiently homogeneous.
The Statistical Prediction of Environmental Preferences
Authors: Weinstein Neil David
Published: March 2007

This paper discusses a number of statistical and interpretive problems which arise in the analysis of complex, multivariate data common in the study of man-environment relations. The problems are encountered in the course of a detailed analysis of a multiple regression model of landscape preferences developed by Shafer and coworkers. Questions raised by the analysis suggest that the predictive validity of the model and its usefulness for making any resource management decisions have not yet been demonstrated.
Psychometric Techniques in Transportation Planning
Authors: Nicolaidis Gregory C.
Published: March 2007

Recent mathematical models have been developed to explain and predict travel demand; they attempt to describe travel behavior via social science research techniques and theory. Two studies are reviewed which concern the analysis and use of attitudinal data to further enhance the understanding of urban travel. The first study's main objective is to develop a set of quantitative measures of comfort in order to describe that particular aspect of competing modes of intraurban travel. The second study analyzed a set of preference data collected as part of a feasibility study for innovative urban public transportation systems. Both studies employed multidimensional scaling techniques.
Procedures for Investigating the Effect of Light on Impression
Authors: Hendrick Clyde , Martyniuk Osyp , Spencer Terry J. , Flynn John E.
Published: March 2007

This paper reports findings concerning the effect of environmental lighting as a medium that affects user impressions and judgments. Our previous work on this problem used both multidimensional scaling and semantic differential techniques to assess changes in impression as a function of variation in the lighting arrangements. This research was conducted in a lighting demonstration room at the General Electric Lighting Institute at Nela Park in Cleveland. Six different lighting arrangements were used. Results from both multidimensional scaling and ratings on semantic differential scales showed that user impression changed in orderly ways for different lighting arrangements. The present study assessed whether slides of the lighting arrangements could adequately simulate results from the real space. Comparable results would indicate that slides are a useful simulation tool, and would also be of general theoretical interest. The data indicated that in many important respects the results for the slides matched the results for the real space for ratings on semantic differential scales, but that less consistent results were obtained for multidimensional scaling.
User Participation
Authors: Wandersman Abraham
Published: March 2007

This article presents a study which attempts to clarify the meaning of participation by separating participation into distinct types and relating each type to evaluation of the environment. The study was a simulation of the process of designing dormitory rooms which contrasted three types of participation, while controlling for quality of the design: (1) Self-Planning (SP)-generating alternative designs and choosing one; (2) Choice (C)-Choosing a design from two alternative designs generated by others; (3) No Participation (NP). Type of participation was significantly related to participants' reports of how much they would like living in the room. SP subjects and C subjects liked the rooms significantly more than the NP subjects, while SP and C subjects did not differ significantly from each other. SP and C subjects reported that participation made them feel significantly more creative, responsible, and helpful, and less anonymous than NP subjects. Attitudes about the architects were significantly affected by type of participation. The role of individual difference characteristics in participation was explored.
Environmental Cognitive Sets
Authors: Leff Herbert L. , Gordon Lawrence R.
Published: March 2007

This article reports the results of a longitudinal experiment exploring environmental cognitive sets (ways of perceiving or thinking about one's surroundings) that were designed especially to promote awareness of environmental problems and possibilities but also to induce aesthetic experience, environmental understanding, and a playful and creative orientation toward environmental experience. The results of our project indicate that (1) imagining improvements in an environment (the "IMG" set) led subjects to notice and remember more human-induced environmental problems than did normal viewing; (2) although IMG tended to be rated as more interesting and enjoyable than normal viewing for filmed scenes, subjects who were instructed repeatedly to use IMG seemed to tire of its imposed use over an extended period of time; (3) nevertheless, a much higher proportion of these subjects than of subjects with less experimental exposure to IMG reported using this set on their own after the conclusion of the experiment; (4) our specially devised instructions "for being more creative" in imagining environmental changes were very effective in helping college students imagine changes of higher (blind-rated) quality; (5) our research procedures at this stage of development had no discernible systematic effects on overall environmental concern, ability to devise new cognitive sets, or feelings of perceptual control; (6) subjects who freely chose several cognitive sets to use at visited locations showed a highly significant tendency to find at least one experimental set for each location that was more interesting and enjoyable than normal viewing (even though normal viewing at these locations was itself rated as both interesting and enjoyable and as significantly easier than the experimental cognitive sets).
Territorial Invasion in the Classroom
Authors: Haber Gilda Moss
Published: March 2007

A comparison is made, among humans, testing dominance and subordination among the spatially central and peripheral in fourteen college classrooms. An operational definition of dominance was whether a person whose stably occupied seat was invaded (occupied by the experimenter during the "owner's" absence) defended his seat by asking for it back. The hypothesis was tested that the spatially central would defend territory (ask for their seat back) significantly more than would the spatially peripheral. Some findings were: (1) The spatially central defended territory significantly more than the spatially peripheral when invaded. (2) Those who defended stopped and stared before defense of territory significantly more than those who retreated. (3) Defenders of territory related their wishes verbally to invaders significantly more often than did retreaters. (4) The longer territory had been occupied and/or marked with personal property, the more often territory was defended against invaders. (5) After invasion, invadee retreaters (who took another seat) mainly took another seat in close proximity to the invader, suggesting perhaps nonverbal threat. (6) In the succeeding session all invadees whether they had defended their seat or retreated when perceiving themselves invaded, both arrived earlier than usual and occupied or reoccupied (for retreaters) their own territory.
Traffic Noise, Environmental Awareness, and Pedestrian Behavior
Authors: Korte Charles , Grant Rosalyn
Published: March 2007

Recent research has confirmed that social behavior, especially helpfulness, is affected by the environmental input level: As the level of environmental bombardment increases, the level of helpfulness decreases. This study was designed to evaluate one explanation for this effect, the restricted awareness explanation. We hypothesized that as environmental bombardment increases, people become less aware of peripheral objects and happenings in their immediate surroundings. This characteristic may be part of a general adjustment to high-input levels, which may also include an increase in walking speed and a decrease in visual scanning of the environment. The results confirmed each of these expectations. During periods of high traffic noise and density, in contrast to low periods, pedestrians were found to be less aware of novel objects placed along their route, to walk faster, and to engage more in a straight-ahead gaze fixation.
Grocery Shopping Choices
Authors: Schuler Harry J.
Published: March 2007

A conjoint analysis of expressed preferences for experimental levels of supermarket attributes is carried out to forecast spatial behavior based on how stimulus information is processed by consumers. The aggregate model is tested by means of a behavioral gravity model formulation. The derived utility scales input are measures of attractiveness in the gravity model to independently validate the combination rule of the conjoint analysis. Results of a test support this hypothesis and provide useful information concerning spatial behavior in the purchase of grocery items.
Response to Earthquake Hazard
Authors: Jackson Edgar L.
Published: March 2007

Based on the findings and hypotheses of natural hazard research, a survey of earthquake hazard perception and the adoption of adjustments was carried out among 302 residents of 3 seismic risk zones of the west coast of North America. The study provided 3 lines of evidence for the concept of bounded rationality, namely, a preference for crisis response, a limited range of adjustments perceived and adopted, and variations in the perception of risk and uncertainty. Perception and response were found to be associated with the nature of previous experience, perceived salience of the hazard, emotional response, and perceived responsibility, but not with socioeconomic status. The findings are discussed in terms of the rationality of behavior, the role of expectations of future occurrence, differences between earthquakes and other hazards, the true function of adjustments, and the impact of information programs.
Apartment Design Choices
Authors: Wiesenthal David L. , Tubiana Joseph H.
Published: March 2007

Cunningham (1977) found that American university students preferred apartment designs in which the major portion of open space was located in the upper right corner of the unit. The experience of reading and writing English from left to right was hypothesized as establishing a scanning pattern leading to a preference for such right-oriented designs. Students whose mother tongue was Hebrew (a language written from right to left) were compared to a group of native English speakers to test if the Hebrew group would prefer left-oriented apartments. Cunningham's data was not replicated, nor were any major relationships with hand/eye dominance, past and present residential history, or language background seen to relate to design choices. Several methodological difficulties were mentioned along with alternative strategies.
Physical Enclosure, Type of Job, and Privacy in the Office
Authors: Sundstrom Eric , Town Jerri P. , Brown David W. , Forman Andrew , Mcgee Craig
Published: March 2007

Office employees from three job groups-including 88 secretaries, 44 bookkeepers and accountants, and 22 office managers and administrators-completed a questionnaire and had their workspaces measured for the number of partitions, the amount of floorspace, the number of people in the room, and other features. The best single predictor of rated privacy of workspaces for all job groups was the number of partitions around the workspace. Occupants of private offices rated their workspaces most private, but office managers and administrators gave higher ratings than bookkeepers and accountants, who gave higher ratings than secretaries. Results suggested that the three job groups perceived privacy differently, depending on the demands of their work and their control over contact with others. Findings are explained in terms of a three-leveled hterarchy of privacy needs.
Any Data or None at All?
Authors: Warriner G. Keith , McDougall Gordon H. G. , Claxton John D.
Published: March 2007

Accuracies of self-reports of household energy consumption were examined among a sample of 2090 electricity and 1699 fuel oil and natural gas consumers. Information obtained from self-reports allowed an increase in response of 37% over what could be obtained from utility company files. Errors in measures as a result of self-reporting occurred, ranging between 10.5% and 12.6% and 24.6% and 29.3%, depending upon fuel type and respondents' use of household receipts. There was no apparent tendency toward systematic over-or underreporting, with the exception of underreporting among larger users. Selfreports correlated more highly with actual consumption than did scores computed to replace missing data. Relationships among variables did not vary significantly between subgroups of respondents for which utility records were and were not obtained. It is concluded that no great error is introduced into findings by researchers' use of self-reports of household energy consumption, either in terms of parameter estimation or in the calculation of relationships among variables. At the sametime, use of self-reports allows the number of missing observations to be reduced.
Architecture for the Mentally Impaired Elderly
Authors: Lawton M. Powell , Fulcomer Mark , Kleban Morton H.
Published: March 2007

A model for the postoccupancy evaluation (POE) is suggested. Most actual POE fall short of the ideal. An example of a POE is presented of an environment designed for severely impaired, elderly residents of nursing homes. Because residents themselves could not be interviewed, evaluation was based primarily on the direct observation of resident behavior before and after transfer to the prosthetically designed building. Consumer evaluations were also performed by staff and by residents' relatives. Some hypothesized improvements were seen, and the major effect was suggested as a retardation of decline. The study is seen as a partial approach to the POE model.
Children's Distance Estimates in a Large-Scale Environment
Authors: Herman James F. , Norton Laura M. , Klein Christine A.
Published: March 2007

School children of the second grade, fourth grade, and sixth grade were tested to examine the effects of route angularity, the number of turns encountered along a path, on their time and distance estimates. In three experiments, children walked between two locations separated by different path turns and then estimated walk duration and walking distance. In Experiment 1, one path contained two turns, and the other path contained no turns; in Experiment 2, one path contained four turns, and the other path contained one turn; and in Experiment 3, one path contained eight turns, and the other path contained two turns. Distance estimates did not differ signif icantly for paths containing numerous turns relative to paths containing fewer turns (or no turns). Time estimates differed significantly only in Experiment 1, with duration estimated as greater for the path with no turns. It was concluded that the route angularity effect may not be a robust phenomenon and that future research examining this effect must be conducted under conditions in which the events encountered along a path are strictly controlled.
Urban Design As Uneven Development
Authors: Mayo James M.
Published: March 2007

The political economy shapes how urban development is used in the production of designed space in our cities. The aesthetic quality created in these designed outcomes is unevenly and ultimately inequitably distributed over a city's space. Business interests strategically use how aesthetic value is structured by a social class system when they produce and market the built environment. Public intervention has been used to resolve these inequities, but these actions can reproduce uneven development that was never intended. Urban designers need to address these issues by reshaping how they can become more effective practitioners through critical reasoning.
A Schema for Using Records of Geographer's Careers in the Study of Geographic Thought
Authors: Schnell Izhak
Published: March 2007

The aim of this article is to bring into awareness some major dimensions of interpretation in geographic thought. Several contextual and epistemological dimensions of interpretation are mentioned. Among them are scholars' roles, activities, fields of interest, styles of approaching the subject matter, modes of narrative, and formal modes of argument. It is argued that interpretations arise out of geographers' biographies within their sociospatial context, and are institutionalized in each historical period into several incompatible world views. Each of them consists of different concepts, methodologies, and practices. It is argued also that the discipline as a whole may be enriched by all the perspectives that prove themselves as relatively adequate.
Temperature and Pedestrian Tempo
Authors: Rotton James , Shats Mark , Standers Robert
Published: March 2007

Associations between heat and pedestrian tempo were examined in two field studies and a true experiment. The first quasi-experiment revealed that pedestrians walked faster in a warm than in a cool setting; the second disclosed that low temperatures were also associated with more rapid movement but pedestrians walked as fast inside buildings as they did outdoors when temperatures in the settings were equal. Similar results were obtained in a third experiment following random assignment to experimental conditions. However, subjects in the last experiment did not show awareness of internal states (arousal and negative affect) which presumably mediate associations between heat and performance.
Adults, Adolescents, And Architects
Authors: Pennartz Paul J. J. , Elsinga Marja G.
Published: March 2007

The main objective of this article is to contribute to theory development and methodology with respect to perceptual schemes and their influence on judgment and evaluation of the urban environment. Three groups-comprising adults, adolescents, and architects-were formed to answer the main problem: To what degree and in what way do perceptual schemes of these groups differ? We constructed an instrument for content analysis on information gathered by means of in-depth interviews and tested it on reliability. A statistical analysis resulted in highly significant differences between the three groups. Within the perceptual schemes of adolescents immediate sensation of stimuli appears to be relatively important. Significance of specified spatial qualities appears to be characteristic of the perceptual schemes of architects. The position of adults is an intermediate one, but interpretation and meaning are relatively important in their perception of the environment.
Market Segmentation for Recycling
Authors: Howenstine Erick
Published: March 2007

A study of recycling perceptions, opinions, and behaviors of members of 578 households on Chicago's North Side illustrated the value of market segmentation for planning a recycling program. Analysis focused on nonrecyclers (61% of respondents), and their reasons for not participating. Factor analysis of Likert-type scores revealed three salient dimensions—indifference, location issues, and household nuisance—among 12 important reasons for not recycling. The internal composition of these factors lent support to a three-part decision model for recycling that involves motivation, information, and overcoming practical obstacles to recycling. Opinion scores showed the relative importance of 12 obstacles to recycling. Moreover, cluster analysis was used to identify the concerns of a sizable group that appears to be on the verge of participation. Addressing their issues would be a cost-efficient way to increase participation rates. Differences in perceptions and opinions between racial/ethnic groups were also identified.
Office Noise, Satisfaction, and Performance
Authors: Sundstrom Eric , Town Jerri P. , Rice Robert W. , Osborn David P. , Brill Michael
Published: March 2007

A field study assessed disturbance by office noise in relation to environmental satisfaction, job satisfaction, and jot performance ratings among 2,391 employees at 58 sites before and/or after office renovation. In all, 54% said they were bothered often by noise, especial!y by people talking and telephones ringing. Disturbance by noise correlated with dissatisfaction with the environment and job but not with selfor supervisor-rated performance. Quasi-experimental analysis of groups reporting increased, decreased, or unchanged disturbance by noise revealed a drop in satisfaction concurrent with increasing noise. Disturbance by office noise may reflect a variety of environmental and job characteristics and may have a role in job satisfaction through both environmental satisfaction and job characteristics. Implications are discussed.
Overall "Sense of Community" in a Suburban Region
Authors: Wilson Georjeanna , Baldassare Mark
Published: March 2007

This article tests several hypotheses from sociology and psychology about the factors important to residents' overall "sense of community" in a suburban region. Using data from the 1990 Orange County (CA) Annual Survey, we found that 68% of residents lived in places that they described as having a sense of community. As hypothesized, the overall sense of community was greater when there was higher satisfaction with the amount of local participation in the community and higher satisfaction with privacy in the residential setting. We also found evident impacts of urbanization, in that residents living in larger, higher density and more ethnically diverse cities in a suburban region had a lower overall sense of community. The implications for suburban theory, research, and community design are discussed.
Why Choose One Level of Analysis? and Other Issues in Multilevel Research
Authors: Levine Douglas W.
Published: March 2007

Several issues related to multilevel research and measurement theory are discussed. It was emphasized that questions regarding choice of level of measurement and unit of analysis are less important than the choice of an appropriate statistical model. It was demonstrated that even with an "error-free" environmental measure not all persons should view the setting in the same manner. The split-sample correlation was clearly shown to have undesirable statistical properties, and the use of standard methods was stressed. Investigators were cautioned to carefully choose a coefficient and were shown that this choice is sometimes tricky. Finally, the analysis of multilevel data using multilevel methods was recommended.
Icann as the `United Nations' of the Global Information Society?
Authors: Kleinwächter Wolfgang
Published: March 2007

In October 1998 the `Internet Corporation for Assignment of Names and Numbers' (ICANN), a global, not-for-profit private organization responsible for the governance of the Internet, was established under Californian law. The new corporation will be fully operational by October 2000. ICANN represents the global public Internet community as well as private industry involved in electronic commerce and has the mandate to coordinate and control the technical protocols of the Internet, the Internet address space, the Internet domain name system (DNS) and the Internet root server system. The article describes the efforts by the international community to create a mechanism for global Internet governance, and in particular for the DNS, the so-called `territory of cyberspace', where conflict between holders of domain names and trademarks has been growing over the years. After initial efforts failed to create a new mechanism under the Internet Society in 1995 and under the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 1997, the Internet Corporation for Assignment of Names and Numbers (ICANN), initiated by a US government White Paper (June 1998), seems to have received worldwide acceptance as the umbrella organization for the Internet. ICANN, its supporting organizations and its numerous committees (in particular the Governmental Advisory Committee) constitute a network mechanism which will guarantee stable and robust management of the Internet and will also give room for a dynamic and flexible response to new challenges which will emerge from the future development of the Internet. Whether ICANN, which will take over full responsibility for the Internet in October 2000, will be a purely technical organization or become an organization which deals also with the political, economic, cultural, social and legal aspects of the Internet - a `United Nations of the Information Age' - remains to be seen.
Mediated Images of International Understanding
Authors: Bublic John M. , Sitaraman Srinivasan
Published: March 2007

This study examines the structure of international news by asking journalists from India and the United States to assemble a news story utilizing the same raw materials. By presenting journalists with different discourses relating to US-India economic relations, we are able to examine which items they place high in a story and which they would place low in a story, and compare their various perspectives. A wide diversity of journalists participated, including reporters from USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, Akron Beacon Journal, The Times of India, The Statesman and the Ananda Bazar Patrika, to examine one of the most important international economic relationships in the world. Our principal findings are that the news discourses in both countries are shaped by issues relating to the media hegemony thesis and each country's national interest.
Human Rights in China: A Pawn of a Political Agenda?
Authors: Li Xigen , Cyr Charles St
Published: March 2007

A content analysis of ten years of New York Times coverage of human rights in China has found that The Times set its own agenda in covering human rights in China, apart from the US presidential agenda. While presidential concern about human rights in China subsided and US-China trade became a priority in the presidential agenda, The Times increasingly continued its coverage of human rights in China. There was no increase in presidential concern about human rights in China or increased Times coverage in the election years compared with non-election years. The evidence over ten years of news coverage also suggests that despite a relatively independent rate of production of human rights news stories by The Times, neither incumbent presidents nor their opponents treated human rights as a high visibility, independent issue or as a separate issue in foreign policy. Instead, references to human rights were consistently entwined with other issues, both foreign and domestic.
Media Uses and Acculturation Among Chinese Immigrants in the USA
Authors: Hwang Bao-hui , He Zhou
Published: March 2007

This study employs a uses and gratifications approach to examine media consumption and acculturation among Chinese immigrants in Silicon Valley in the USA. It finds that the immigrants' use of the media - both English and Chinese - gratifies, to varying degrees, such acculturation needs as English skills and information and knowledge of the host society. However, the availability of Chinese-language media and a unique set of sociodemographic variables combine to hamper the impact of English media use on the immigrants' acculturation.
The Systemic Conditions Leading to Violent Human Behavior
Authors: Roy Kenneth G.
Published: March 2007

There has been increased interest in violence because of several recent tragic murders committed by adolescent boys. Most researchers speculate that there are multiple risk factors associated with people who become violent and kill other people. This article presents a model for understanding how the risk factors may interact to favor the development of violent human behavior. The model proposes a set of conditions for the four levels of human behavior—intrapsychic, interpersonal, intragroup, and intergroup—that are necessary, but not sufficient in and of themselves, to determine the expression of violent behavior. Certain final events that complement the favorable factors and trigger or precipitate violence are proposed. Recommendations for systemic interventions at all four levels are also provided.